Tsune ni ite, kyuu ni awasu
by YugamiYoshitsune
Summary: After the events of AA:DD, Athena asks Simon to instruct her in Japanese swordplay in order to feel closer to her mother. However, Simon himself is hesitant to take up the blade again... Slowly reconnecting under this premise, they face their pasts and the changes they have undergone over seven long years. Lots of introspective, AA:DD spoilers. Cykesquill, slow build.
1. Chapter 1

~ Tsune ni ite, kyuu ni awasu - To always be prepared to swiftly meet blade with blade. ~

* * *

_January 14, 2028_

Since the Wright Anything Agency had been in a bit of a lull recently, Athena Cykes had decided to take a day off in the middle of the week, telling her boss that she "really needed to get some spring cleaning done."

That had been a complete fabrication. Oh, her apartment needed it, sure, but it was not her reason for the impromptu break in her work routine.

No, she wanted to see how Simon was faring. She had not seen him since the day of his exoneration, and although she was not entirely sure just what to say to him, she figured the words would come more easily now than in front of everyone back in the defense lobby, when they had both been shell-shocked with relief.

His name was not on the court calendar for the day, so Athena figured that he would probably be at the prosecutor's office, and, lacking any contact information, decided to just invite herself over during lunch time.

Unfortunately, things turned out to be not quite that simple.

When the young defense attorney approached the lobby desk, an older lady with a pinched facial expression eyed her suspiciously. Bad sign number one.

"Um… good afternoon. I am here to see Prosecutor Blackquill."

The receptionist threw a smile at her that could probably cut glass. Bad sign number two. "Do you have an appointment?"

Athena nervously began fiddling with her ponytail. "I'm afraid not… Could you possibly check whether he might have a few minutes? I'm a personal acquaintance."

The smile became even sharper. "I have explicit instructions from Prosecutor Blackquill to not bother him with unannounced visitors. Reporters, you understand. For which gossip rag are you working, darling?"

Athena's hands smacked down on the wide desk in front of her before she could rein herself in, and Widget quickly flashed from apprehensive blue over to angry red.

"I'm a lawyer, not a reporter! See, here's my badge!"

The receptionist wrinkled her narrow nose. "Looks fake to me. Look, just run along, find someone else to bother..."

She stopped talking when a large bird of prey suddenly fluttered down from above to perch on her head. It was Taka.

The receptionist looked as though she might begin screaming at any moment, but Athena was too occupied with the implication of the bird's appearance to bother with _schadenfreude_.

_If Taka's here in the lobby, that can only mean one thing._

Athena turned around and found Simon striding towards her from the entrance, a brown paper bag in his right hand.

"Cykes-dono. What brings you here?"

Noticing his formal address, she frantically scrambled for a reason that would legitimize her presence here.

"I, uh… wanted to discuss some details of the NT-2 case with you."

Athena hoped he would not call her out on this one – NT-2 had been the first case over which they had clashed with each other in court, the murder of Nine-Tails Vale's Alderman Kyubi, and it had been concluded a whole nine months ago.

He smirked at her for a moment, then his eyes wandered over to the still-petrified receptionist, and he called Taka back to his shoulder with a sharp whistle.

"… I see. Come along, then."

_Oh god thank you for not busting my chops…_

She followed him to the elevators. After he had pressed the call button, his eyes cast about to see if anyone else was within earshot, before he quietly said, "You are lucky the old bag didn't call the police on you before I walked in."

The polished steel doors before them parted, admitting them into the cabin. Athena's expression was crestfallen as she watched him select the floor.

"Police…?"

Another smirk. "I've had to leave some rather draconian instructions with her to keep any intrepid mudslingers out of my office."

"Oh." Athena had read some of the articles the yellow press had penned about him in the last few weeks – they had made wonderful kindling for an impromptu not-entirely-legal campfire in People Park.

"Which brings me back to my earlier question. Why are you here, Athena?"

And of course, the words would not come out in a coherent fashion.

"I, uh… you see, it's my day off, and I… I'm not disturbing you, am I…? I mean, if I am, I'll leave, I don't wanna be a bother…"

He snorted quietly just before they arrived on the sixth floor. "I am not bothered, or I would have left you downstairs with the prosecutorial watch dog. Now, how about you sort through that mindless jabber and come up with something intelligible?"

Had Athena heard anything other than amusement in his voice, she probably would have been too intimidated to stay. As it was, she followed him wordlessly through the corridor until they reached a door whose small metal plaque proclaimed it to lead to office number 628.

Simon unlocked and opened the door, and Taka fluttered in immediately, coming to rest on a bird perch standing next to the large mahogany desk.

Athena hesitantly stepped inside, whistling through her teeth before she could stop herself. "Nice office!"

Another smirk. He placed the bag on the desk and sat down behind it, motioning for her to take a seat, as well.

"You should see the Chief Prosecutor's… but I assume that you aren't here because you wanted to satisfy your curiosity regarding my workplace environment…?"

She took a deep breath. "Well… not entirely. As I said, it's my day off, and… well, I haven't exactly run into you since… _that _day, so I thought I'd see if I could catch you here…"

Athena was sure she would have seen a raised eyebrow, if his hair did not completely obscure his forehead.

"A courtesy call, then? Hn." The huff of breath still sounded amused, letting her know that he was not about to throw her out. "I hope you don't mind if I have lunch, then."

"Oh no, no! Go right ahead," she hastened to reply, motioning toward the bag with both hands.

As he lifted a styrofoam container out of it, she ventured to continue, "So… I was just wondering how you were doing, to be honest. I, uh… if there's anything I can do to help…?"

His movements stilled for a moment, before he opened the boxed-up lunch, revealing a selection of skewers from the little _yakitori _place nearby.

"Help yourself."

At first, Athena was perplexed – had he just thrown her impulsive offer back into her teeth? Then, however, she noticed his gesture toward the food before he grasped a _negima _skewer and lifted it to his mouth.

The smile that came to her face was automatic – she remembered eating _yakitori _with him and her mother all those years ago more than once.

"… as long as I don't touch the _tsukune_, right?"

What flitted over his face for a split second this time was not a smirk – she was pretty sure it was actually an answering smile. "Indeed."

"Thanks."

Athena selected a _negima_ skewer, herself, feeling a bit guilty for eating his food, but mostly happy that so far, her impromptu visit was turning out much better than it had initially appeared.

For a short while, they chewed quietly.

Finally, she spoke up again. "So… I don't mean to pry, but… have you found a place to live yet?"

He nodded. "Just last week. It took me a few attempts to locate a landlord who did not immediately flee in the opposite direction, even with Edgeworth-dono vouching for my not posing a danger."

Athena cringed. _Well done girl, this is your fault._

Simon's gazed bored through her right away. "I can tell what you're thinking. Do me a favor and stop it right this instant."

"But…"

"No buts," he cut her off. "I require no sympathy for the choices I made, or for the consequences of those choices."

As the slightest hint of irritation began to sound from his heart, she backpedaled immediately.

"Okay…"

Athena's gaze fell on the ornate blades mounted on the office wall above his filing cabinets, and she could not help but ask, "How long has it been since you've practiced?"

She recalled him endlessly exercising through _kata _with her mother, who had held _godan _rank in _iaidō _and had also loved to practice the more sparring-oriented _kenjutsu_.

The sigh he emitted surprised her, until he admitted quietly, "I haven't since the day of my arrest."

Her eyes widened. "Really…? But I thought… with all the talk of swords in the courtroom… and that little trick you use all the time…"

"Hmph." Another huff of breath, this time half amused, half… bitter? "That 'little trick,' as you call it, came in rather handy during the last seven years in keeping certain _people _at a distance. It may not amount to much by itself, but it kept them guessing what else I had in store. As for practice… well, for one, you can imagine that the guards were not exactly prone to letting prisoners handle blades, and even sticks were somewhat frowned upon, since they could be easily altered into more dangerous implements."

His heart thrummed with discord as he reached the end of his explanation, and Athena knew he was hiding something more, but did not dare to pry just yet.

Instead, an idea popped into her head, one that seemed more appealing the more she thought about it.

"Are you planning to start again? Because if you are… um, if you'd be willing, that is…"

Athena cast her eyes down. "It was one of Mom's favorite hobbies. I never had a chance to learn anything from her, before…"

She could feel his gaze on her as silence stretched between them for long moments.

"… I am not sure that I am qualified to teach you," he finally stated slowly.

The discord in his heart was so strong that Widget felt obliged to chirp, **"Lies!" **

Athena clapped a hand over the little nuisance as she looked at Simon, who was apparently too nonplussed to object.

"She told you that you were getting to the point where she couldn't teach you much more. I was there, remember? I mean, maybe you're a bit rusty, but…"

She took a deep breath. "Going to some _dōjō _downtown is not the same. Yeah, I'd get the exercise, and I'd learn, but… if I learned from you, it'd feel like you're passing on to me what Mom taught you."

For an incredibly fleeting moment, Athena thought she saw something resembling anguish on Simon's face, before his expression was an impassive mask once more.

"…I'll think about it," he finally answered quietly, before opening one of his desk drawers and taking out a business card. "Here. So you don't have to brave the old bag downstairs again the next time you wish you talk."

Athena smiled at him, glad that he apparently had no plans to immediately dismiss her idea out of hand. "Thanks. Hold on…"

Rummaging in her bag, she found one of her own cards. "There you are. We don't have an attack dog at the agency, but we _do _have the Chords of Steel…"

That got him to grin. "Avoiding Justice-dono's voice seems like a worthwhile endeavor. I am still amazed that he hasn't managed to deafen you yet."

She snickered. "The boss told him to practice at home, for what it's worth, although you could probably get him to yell in surprise if you stopped by unannounced…"

"In that case, I shall refrain from doing so – I'm rather fond of my sense of hearing."

He took a look at the small clock on his desk. "My lunch period is about over."

Athena rose from the visitor's chair. "I guess I better leave you to your work then. Um… call me when you've made a decision regarding practice…?"

He was just about to reply when his phone started ringing, causing him to nod wordlessly instead as he reached for the receiver.

She gave him a little wave goodbye before she left his office, her mood considerably lightened now that she had managed to reopen a line of communication to him.


	2. Chapter 2

When his workday came to an end and it was time to return to his as-yet mostly empty apartment, Simon Blackquill mulled over Athena's proposition on the way home.

He had lied to her when he had said that he did not feel competent enough to teach her. True, it had been a while since he had last handled a blade for a purpose other than mounting the decorative pieces on his office walls, but he had been a natural at the arts her mother had imparted. Before he had begun training with Metis Cykes, he had practiced saber fencing throughout his high school and college years, going so far as to compete in the national championships twice. This expertise had provided a basis for the lightning-fast draws and slashes of _iaidō _and the elaborate freeform sparring of _kenjutsu _his mentor had favored. He was confident that his muscle memory, honed by seven years of handling bladed weaponry daily until it had become all but second nature prior to his enforced hiatus, extended far enough to recall all of his _kata _after a little review, and teaching a complete beginner would not be beyond his skills.

No, his attempt at deflecting her idea had arisen from the fact that he was not so sure whether he _wanted _to refresh and pass on what he knew about the way of the sword.

_In the end, all of Dr. Cykes' ability did not keep her from being murdered, with her own blade, no less._

_I used the very sword that ended her life to fabricate evidence and get myself convicted for her murder._

_I've had to run my mouth about swords for seven years in order to keep up the charade._

He knew that everyone immediately associated him with bladed weapons, no matter whether they believed him to be innocent or guilty. However, at this point, he had a feeling that "everyone" might just exclude one Simon Blackquill.

_The 'Twisted Samurai' losing his taste for steel…it would be hilarious if it happened to someone else._

To a degree, in playing along with public opinion, he had come to define himself in accordance with his image. Seven years were a long time, after all. To reject one of the key components of this image now would leave him bereft of self-definition.

_Hmph. I've had to become what I am now in order to survive in the clink, considering how pathetic I was at first, blubbering away by myself every night. Maybe this is the price I have to pay for survival._

Either way he looked at it, he had been hoisted by his own petard. Completely renouncing the person he had been to the outside world without being able to substitute an alternative was foolish, but maintaining his current persona forced him to constantly reflect on a past which had brought years of pain, anxiety and regret, feelings which he privately wished would fade to nothing more than a bad memory sooner rather than later.

Athena could not possibly realize what her innocent request had broken loose inside of him.

Simon sighed. _Still, I can't blame her for asking…I _was_ her mother's student – and a family friend. It's only natural that she would want to reconnect, and to find some sort of link to the one she lost so long ago, particularly with all the confused memories she has been carrying around with her for those seven years._

He came to a decision as he let himself into his apartment building and began to climb the stairs. _For Athena's and Dr. Cykes' sake, I will give it a try._

* * *

After preparing dinner for himself and feeding Taka, Simon went through the boxes of clothes he had transferred to his closet from Aura's apartment, searching for his training _hakama_. When his eyes fell on a bundle of stiff cloth tied together by straps of the same material, he first thought that his search was at an end, only to discover to his dismay that they were not his, after all, for a red _montsuki gi_ was fastened to the neutral gray pair of pleated pants.

_Aura…! Why is this in my clothes?_

It was Dr. Cykes', as the crest featuring a stylized crescent moon with a round star nestled inside its inner curve clearly proved.

Unbidden, the memory of his first day of practicing swordplay with her forced its way to the forefront of his mind.

* * *

_"So you believe that your fencing experience will give you a chance to best me?"_

_Metis Cykes seemed more than a little amused. Though several inches shorter than him, she appeared rather intimidating in her training clothes, crouched in a half-kneeling position with her left thumb resting lightly against the _tsuba_ of her sword._

_Simon was quick to shake his head. "That isn't what I said. I just stated that at least I am not entirely unprepared."_

_She smiled at him. "If that is what you believe… come at me."_

_Knowing that she, like any sword practitioner worth his or her salt, would be able to read his intent in his eyes, he directed his gaze downward for a moment, calming his breathing, shifting his stance –_

_– and then he leapt towards her, drawing in a fluid motion and preparing to strike._

_The next moment, she parried, her own weapon seemingly having materialized in her hand from one instant to the next. A swift smack to the back of his hand with the flat side of the blade, an intricate swirling motion wresting the sword from his now marginally less firm grip, sending it flying, and after a grand total of less than five seconds, the razor-sharp tip of her _katana_ hovered just inches from his jugular, steady and sure._

_Dr. Cykes' smile never wavered. "Do you yield?"_

* * *

As Simon found his way back to reality, his eyes once more refocused on the bundle of training clothing, and he slightly shook his head with a trace of a smile. He _had _been rather cocky, assuming that he would have a fighting chance against someone with her expertise, and she had disabused him of that notion rather thoroughly.

It took him a moment to be able to put the set aside and begin his rummaging once more. Finally, he found what he had been looking for – another tied-up pair of _hakama _similar to the first, only that it came with a black _gi_ embroidered with his own crest.

Changing into the traditional attire left him with an odd feeling, as though he was stepping into the past. A look at his reflection in the nearby small mirror, while once more grounding him firmly in the present, also served to send an unwelcome stab of melancholy through him.

_I am not that cocky young man anymore. I am but a shadow of his decision._

And yet, since that decision, born from dedication to his mentor and her daughter, was all that had sustained him in seven years of purgatory, it was who _he _was: A man with a gaze as sharp as broken glass, half-hidden behind hair which almost reached into his eyes and far down his back in an unruly mass, some of it having lost its color to time and suffering. The dark traces of his only slowly abating insomnia, and the accursed proof of his weakness having streamed sideways down his cheeks every night for the first few years, only emphasized his estrangement from the person he had been.

Gritting his teeth in disgust at his melodramatic self-reflection, Simon turned away from the mirror. _Now who needs to cut the existential bull? Get a hold of yourself, Blackquill._

Performing a few quick stretching exercises not only loosened his muscles, but served to calm down his thoughts for the moment. He reached into another box on the ground, his hand closing around the black-lacquered scabbardof his practice blade.

_I hope no moisture got into the _saya_ in storage_. Should this have occurred, the _katana _would be ruined.

A nudge with his thumb un-notched the _habaki,_ which held the blade in place inside its protective casing, easily enough, and when Simon slowly drew out the savagely glinting steel, he could see no rust or other imperfections marring it, until he caught a glimpse at dried-on taint emerging with the final six inches.

_Blood…?_

Images began flashing across his mind's eye in rapid progression.

Metis Cykes on the robot assembly table, unmoving, a gruesome wound spilling reds and browns all over her always-impeccable kimono and lab coat…

_No…_

Athena smiling at him sweetly, blue eyes wide open, and explaining that she was going to "fix" her mother…

_Why…?_

Cold dread as his eyes had fallen on the soiled blade on the ground after having taken note of the robot on its charging station, knowing what he had had to do…

_Stop. _Stop. _STOP!_

To his surprise, his mental impressions obliged his inner outcry.

The waking nightmare, as quickly as it had passed, had been as immediate as it had been all-encompassing for his senses – the visual and aural elements had been accompanied by the stench of blood assaulting his nostrils, mingled with the aroma of Athena's hair as he had embraced the uncomprehending girl, shedding the first few tears for the Cykes family in her stead, before leaving the room with her held against his chest…

Only now, Simon realized that he had closed his eyes. Upon opening them once more, he noticed that the stains on the blade in his hand had been nothing but an illusion his traitorous mind had forced on him.

Not only that, when he lifted his fingers to his face after placing the weapon on the hardwood floor, they came away wet – it seemed that he still possessed the ability to cry, even though he had thought that his tears had dried up years ago.

Suddenly, fury at his impotence to let go of the images which plagued him rose red-hot inside his mind.

_This is _not _all I am._

Athena, now no longer a little girl, had requested his help. While she obviously wanted to reminisce with him, the memories she sought were not those after which the press were slavering. She knew him as a _person_, knew that he was more than just a remnant of that fateful afternoon.

_I want to do this. For her – and for myself._

He would not be thwarted by what amounted to nothing more than a psychological hang-up, by the one memory which had replayed in his head for countless nights until it got lodged in his very being like a poisonous barb.

_It is time for me to face the future by coming to terms with my past._

Simon reached for the sword once more, gripping the hiltfirmly. His left wandered up to his hair tie, loosening it slightly just before he placed the razor-sharp blade against the base of his ponytail.

_I can't take away seven years of darkness with one cut… but at least, I can do this._

The sword was still so finely-honed that it only took gentle pressure to cut through. A moment later, almost two feet of slightly tangled black hair spilled over his hand, his head and neck feeling strangely light.

Blades had enchained him, had governed his path for much of his adult life. It was high time he severed the strings of fate by reclaiming that which had ruled him, making it once again subservient to his will.

_From now on, I will be my _own _master._

He would get his undoubtedly uneven hairline at the nape of his neck straightened out before going into the office tomorrow. For now, it was time to get to work.

Casting aside the mass of dark locks, Simon straightened, belted on the _saya_, and assumed a beginning stance with renewed determination.

[End of chapter]

* * *

A bit of a glossary of the bits and pieces of a katana, also for future reference:

_Tsuka_ - handle, grip

_Tsuba_ - guard, aka the bit between handle and blade if you don't do swords ;)

_Habaki_ - the dull bit between the guard and blade proper, often engraved, holds the blade in the scabbard

_Saya_ - scabbard, sheath


	3. Chapter 3

Monday of the following week found Athena having to babysit the Wright Anything Agency office, as Apollo and Mr. Wright were at court for a case, facing off against Gaspen Payne.

Sitting on the couch and scrolling through Widget's menu, she hoped that they would wrap up quickly and come back – the office being empty and quiet while Trucy was at school and everyone else was out was a drag.

Not only that, it left her with far too much time to think about the fact that she had not heard a peep from Simon since their meeting last week. As she was the one asking him for a favor, she had restrained herself from calling, herself, not wanting to bug him until he said "no" just to get her off his back, but…

_Just how long does he need to make a decision? Or did he just say he would "think about it" to get rid of me?_

No, he was not the type to do that kind of thing… was he?

She was rattled out of her contemplation when the door opened and her associates strolled in, obviously in a good mood.

"Hey there, boss, Apollo… how'd it go?"

Her colleague grinned at her. "How do you think? We went up against _Payne_…"

Athena laughed. "Yeah, sorry, I forgot for a second. How often did he call you 'rookie' this time before you schooled him?"

"I dunno, since the trial was pretty short, I think he only managed to say it about twenty times… Hey, wanna get out of the office and go grab a bite to eat? I'm starving."

She shook her head at Apollo. "You always are. Well, vamonos!"

Mr. Wright called out from his study after them, "Get me something, too, I don't care what it is!"

"Will do, boss!" Athena called over her shoulder just before the door slammed shut behind her.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were standing in line at the sandwich shop around the corner; Athena had suggested _Eldoon's_, but her associate had logically pointed out that bringing a bowl of noodles back to the office was a bit of a pain. "Also," he admitted after looking around to make sure that Guy Eldoon was not suddenly sneaking up on them with his noodle stand, "I don't know if my stomach can't handle that much saltiness today…"

While they were waiting, Apollo suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, you wouldn't be interested in the newest gossip from the prosecutor's office…?

Athena giggled. "Are you _gossiping _with Payne between bouts now? Oh, how the mighty have fallen…"

"Shya right," he snorted. "No, we ran into Prosecutor Gavin on the way out, and he told us something that I thought might interest you, but if you don't wanna hear it…"

She fully turned towards him while he feigned a sudden interest in his fingernails.

"Okay, you got me. Spill!"

Apollo left her hanging for a moment longer before he faced her again, just as the crowd moved forward a few steps. "Apparently, Prosecutor Blackquill got rid of his long hair."

She stared at him. "You're kidding."

Her associate shook his head. "It's just hearsay, but… cross my heart and hope to die, that's what I heard."

Just at this moment, her cell phone began to ring in her bag, and when she had finally fished it out, she was surprised to see that the caller was Simon. _Speak of the devil._

Quickly accepting the call, she greeted him with a cheery, "Hey, how's it going?"

An amused huff on the other end of the line. _"I can't complain. I hope I'm not disturbing…?"_

Athena smiled. "Nope, I'm currently on lunch break… waiting in line, you know how it is… hold on."

Apollo was gesturing at her wildly as they were now rapidly approaching the counter, and she quickly rattled off, "Black forest ham, all veggies, light mayo. Let's get the same for Mr. Wright, I've seen him order that more than once."

He nodded to signal her that he had understood, and she lifted her phone back to her ear.

"Sorry about that… so, what's this I hear about you getting a haircut?"

From the corner of her eye, she could see Apollo starting violently, turning to stare at her until people behind them gestured impatiently for him to place their order.

_"…had I known that my hairstyle would be the talk of the town, I would have timed the change to coincide with more interesting gossip material."_

She snorted at his consternation. "That'll teach you to do something like that on a slow news day."

He harrumphed. _"Consider me taught. Speaking of 'teaching'… I am calling because of your request the other day."_

"Yes…?" Athena could not help but feel her excitement mounting as she stepped out of the line, Apollo now holding a plastic bag with three sandwiches wrapped in aluminum foil. _Please don't say no please don't say no pretty please…_

_"I have used the weekend for a thorough review, and I am reasonably certain that instructing you would be feasible."_

Athena's unavoidable little hop of joy apparently caused her associate to think that she had completely lost her marbles. She did not care one bit at the moment. _Yes!_

"Thank you, it means a lot to me," she quickly replied, grinning from one ear to the other.

_"Don't thank me yet. I hope you realize that I will expect you to work hard at this."_

Simon sounded amused in spite of himself.

"Pas de problème!" Athena assured him right away. "So… where are we gonna do this?"

_"My apartment has sufficient open space available. Do you have something to write?"_

"Hold on…" Holding a hand over the phone's lower edge, she urgently whispered at Apollo, "Do you have a pen and some paper?"

Her associate shook himself visibly; he had still been in open-mouth mode. "Uh, one sec…"

He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a stubby pencil and an old receipt. Athena nodded her thanks, and motioned for him to turn around to let her use his back as a scribbling surface.

"Alright, let's hear it."

Simon told her the address, which she quickly wrote out, verifying the house and apartment numbers but nothing else, since she did not think he would be thrilled to hear his address shouted out for all the world to hear, even if most people around her at the moment probably could not care less.

_"Barring any unforeseen engagements, I am home every evening after six. I would suggest we train for two hours two to three times a week in the beginning, to be adjusted as necessary."_

"Wow, that often…?" Athena realized immediately that her reaction sounded profoundly ungrateful, and hastened to add, "I mean, I don't wanna take up all your free time, no, what I really mean is…"

A low chuckle on the other end of the line interrupted her. _"Once again, if you bother me, rest assured that I will tell you. As for my suggesting a rigorous regimen…" _She could just about hear the smirk on his face, _"…you've never been particularly patient, and you still aren't, as the episode at the office last week rather abundantly proves. I figured that you wanted to see improvement before the year is out."_

His flippant explanation made her laugh. "Guilty as charged. All right, I'll be over tonight then." _Also because I _really _want to see your new 'do._

_"Very well, I will see you then."_

The line went dead.

Shoving her phone and the receipt with his address into her bag, Athena turned towards Apollo, who had been eyeing her stuck between bafflement and curiosity.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Before you ask, yes, that _was _Simon. Any other questions?"

"I, uh… that wasn't a set-up for a _date_, was it?"

Athena could not help it: she laughed in his face.

"As if! For all I know, he still hasn't gotten over the fact that I'm not a kid anymore! No, he's going to teach me how to handle a sword."

Apollo cringed. "That's _almost _more terrifying to imagine than option number one. Isn't throwing people enough for you anymore?"

Her expression froze for a moment, before it segued into one of melancholy. "That's not it! Actually… since Simon learned his techniques from Mom, I thought it'd be nice if I could in turn learn from him, do something she enjoyed doing…"

Her associate's face fell. "Shoot, Athena, sorry for being so blasé about it…"

She could hear guilt in his heart and quickly forced herself to resume smiling. They were still on occasion dancing around the doubts he had harbored about her at the time of the UR-1 retrial, and even though she had assured him that it was all water under the bridge numerous times, their friendly relationship was not yet back to the way it had been.

"Don't be silly – and before you get all cringe-y again, I promise that I won't start bringing bladed weapons to work with me anytime soon, so you only have to keep fearing my ace shoulder throws!"

Apollo's responding laugh sounded genuine. "That's a relief. Well, I hope he's not going to send you home black and blue all over tonight."

She snorted. "That makes two of us. Let's get back to the agency, or Mr. Wright is going to call a grand search for that lunch we're supposed to bring him…"

* * *

Athena generally was not a person who spent her entire workday aching for time to pass more quickly, but today was definitely an exception to the rule. She could not even entirely _explain _to herself why she was suddenly so stoked at the prospect of sword training, given that it had not even crossed her mind to try her hand at it prior to last week.

_It must be because _Simon _is the one who's gonna teach me…_

They had been unable to talk without a multitude of physical and professional barriers standing between them for so long, and two half-hour conversations were hardly enough to erase the seven-year chasm which had opened up between them, although she was already relieved that they once again seemed to be on friendly footing. Not only would she be able to reconnect with him on a personal level, maybe their impending shared activity would erase the dull ache in her heart whenever she thought of her mother, whom she had so gravely misunderstood.

Of course, Apollo spilled the news to Trucy as soon as she returned from school, and the young magician promptly quipped, "Cruisin' for a bruisin', Athena?"

Before she had been able to respond, the boss inserted himself into the conversation. "The guy went to jail for her, Truce. I doubt he's going to hurt her… much."

"Aren't you all shining beacons of confidence," Athena grumbled. "I know that I'm gonna get whupped a number of times, thank you very much. You don't have to rub it in just yet."

Trucy grinned at her. "Okay, we're gonna continue after the first few whuppings, then."

"Gee, _thanks_."

"That's what friends are for!"


	4. Chapter 4

Before making her way to Simon's place after the Wright Anything Agency had closed its doors for the day, Athena stopped at her nearby studio apartment, as it had dawned on her that her office attire was probably not particularly practical for what she was about to do.

Digging through her closet, she came up with nothing but the t-shirt-and-track-pants combination she used for her morning runs, and sighed in exasperation.

_Really classy, Athena…but considering that I didn't even know that I was gonna do this tonight, he can't really expect me to come up with a _gi _and _hakama _on the fly._

She changed quickly and took a look in the mirror. _Oh right, the hair…_

Even her mother, whose hair had most often flowed freely down her back, had never neglected to tie it into a tight bun for practice in order to keep it from accidentally tangling with either her or her opponent's blade.

Athena loosened the blue ribbon holding her hair in place and tied her long red tresses back with two hair ties as securely as she could manage.

_This'll have to do._

She grabbed her bag and headed out towards the nearby bus stop.

* * *

Half an hour later, the young lawyer found herself standing in front of the rather average-looking building to which Widget's GPS had led her. The doorbell for the apartment number Simon had indicated did not have a name tag, and Athena wondered for a moment whether he had not yet gotten around to adding one, or whether he preferred to not announce his presence to the outside world.

_If I'd had some of those smears in the papers written about _me_, I wouldn't advertise where I live, either. _The thought alone made her want to take some of these reporters to task personally, but she knew that that would only make matters worse. _I hope the lobby lady at the prosecutor's office got to call the cops on at least a few of them, _she thought savagely. _Jerks._

She pushed the button, and a few seconds later, Simon's voice rang tinnily from the speaker of the intercom.

_"Yes?"_

"It's me."

_"Fourth floor, to your left."_

* * *

When Athena made it to the fourth level of the building, the door to his apartment was open a crack.

Figuring that it was more polite to announce her presence once again, anyway, she knocked on the doorframe as she slowly pushed it open.

"Simon…?"

He had not been joking when he had said that he had enough _open space _for their training – the apartment was much larger than she would have expected from seeing the outside of the building, and was laid out in a mostly open floor plan, divided up by half-partitions. Aside from the bed, the foot end of which she spied peeking beyond one of those partitioning walls, the place was still sans furniture, making her hesitant steps echo. _No doors, no limits…I can see why that would appeal to him after being confined for years._

Simon was seated _seiza _style in the middle of the room, dressed in _hakama_, _gi_ and _tabi_. His head was bowed slightly, and a sheathed _katana _rested on his thighs.

He gazed up at her when she approached.

Athena froze in her tracks.

Without his abundance of hair, he suddenly looked years younger, the dark tracks underneath his eyes and the white forelock notwithstanding. Not only had he lost the ponytail, his bangs had been thinned out enough to where one could actually see his eyebrows between the slightly shorter strands.

His appearance unsettled her. In the very first instant, she could not quite put a finger on why that was, but when it came to her, she was slightly shocked at her own reaction.

_He's never actually stopped being the Simon I knew back then, I know that, but…he _did _change. I got so used to how he looked with all that hair in court…maybe that difference made it easier to accept. Now, he suddenly reminds me so much of how he _was_._

Serious, but fundamentally gentle. Rarely prone to sarcasm. Unguarded.

Somehow, it hurt, as though his current appearance parodized the young man who had worked with her mother.

She mentally kicked herself. _Stop being an idiot, Athena._

"Unfair" did not even begin to cover her current line of thought. _He is who he is now because of _you. _He is generously offering his time because _you _asked him to. _

Athena's greeting came out more than a little belated. "Um, hi… here I am."

Out of reflex, her hands twitched towards where her ponytail would be, before she remembered that it was currently not available to card through for comfort.

His answering smirk managed to ground her in reality once more. "Hmph. No platitudes about my appearance, after I went through all the trouble? I am deeply hurt."

Curiously, she could hear a rather discordant jangle in the voice of his heart, but the emotions causing it were too intertwined and complicated for her to sift through before it was gone again.

_One of these days, I hope you'll be able to tell me all those things you don't say right now. _

The sudden wish was startling, but nevertheless true.

Affecting an airy tone, she responded aloud, "I figured you've heard them all by now, nicht wahr?"

Simon snorted. "Indeed."

Suddenly, Widget decided to butt into their conversation. **"You look so young!"**

Silence fell between them as the amusement slid off his face, leaving surprise in its wake, and Athena felt herself blush. _Dammit, why didn't I leave you at home, Widget?_

Trying to repair the damage their exchange had sustained, she weakly offered, "Um… well, there's your platitude."

He got to his feet, all the while probing her with a gaze that somehow seemed more uncertain than any he had employed during the last nine months. Likewise, his quiet response contained a hint of hesitation.

"… I had not heard that one yet, I have to admit."

"It's true, though." The words slipped out of her mouth unbidden, and she broke eye contact immediately when they reached her own ears. _What are you doing stop talking about this – _

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her vision, just before warm pressure settled on top of her head. Simon's hand.

He had done this all the time when she had been a child, and even though she had squealed at him for getting her hair all mussed up, she had found it comforting all the same. Now, the old gesture caused an odd ache to flare up in her heart, a strange mixture of nostalgia and dismay.

_You haven't done this in forever…but just as you aren't who you were, I'm not, either._

Then, the moment had passed. The touch ceased, and he cleared his throat as his arm dropped to his side.

"We should get started."

Athena looked on as he walked toward a small assortment of boxes placed against the wall, his steps making almost no noise on the hardwood floor. After removing a bundle of cloth and a wooden _bokutō _practice sword from them, he returned to where she was standing, holding out the former to her wordlessly.

Her eyes widened when she realized that it was her mother's training attire. "That's…! Where did you get this?"

Simon did not meet her eyes. "It seems Aura kept it, and it somehow got mixed up with my own clothes. I just found it the other day. It should be yours."

Suddenly, Athena's heart seized with feeling that might overflow at any moment, and she could feel herself tearing up. Her mother's training outfit. Something left by her other than the earring and Widget, a rare and precious gift, carefully preserved by the Blackquill siblings. _Mom…_

Her voice shook a little as she whispered, "Thank you…"

"Don't mention it." He seemed embarrassed, and a hysterical little voice inside her head commented on the unfamiliar sight, _Who are you and what have you done with the 'Twisted Samurai?'_

_He's Simon. _As simple as this answer seemed, the implications were profound: Just as she united the quiet child with the headphones, the determined student, and the dedicated attorney within herself, he was the sincere young man, the savior, the convict, the sharp-tongued prosecutor. It was not an either-or situation; it had never been.

The realization was comforting.

"Is there some place I can change…?"

* * *

A few minutes later, Athena re-emerged from his bathroom, now clad in her mother's practice attire. She was surprised how well the clothes fit her – somehow, her memory painted Metis Cykes as being far taller than her. Maybe that was only to be expected, considering that her daughter had not grown into her own height until she was sixteen. Wearing them felt like an embrace across time, and for a moment, Simon's assertion on the witness stand a month ago flashed through her mind: _"She loved you."_

_I'm going to give it my all, Mom. I want to know why you appreciated the way of the sword so much, and I'm going to learn._

She had left Widget on top of the clothes in which she had arrived, thinking that it would probably be best to have him out of the way so she did not accidentally get him damaged.

Simon held out the _bokutō _towards her as she joined him in the middle of the room.

"Are you ready to begin?"

Athena nodded firmly, reaching for the practice weapon. "Tell me what to do, _sensei_."

The address got him to grin, lightening her own mood in turn. For a fleeting moment, the current odd cadence in their dealings with each other seemed to evaporate.

"I want you to observe me. Pay close attention to my posture, foot placement, and grip. After that, you will attempt to duplicate my movements."

Stepping away slightly while unsheathing his sword, his left foot slid backwards, his knees bent ever-so-slightly, and both of his hands firmly grasped the _tsuka _of his blade, right hand closest to the guard. Angling his elbows while lifting the weapon over his head, he then sliced down in front of him, the sword parting thin air in a perfect line with a vicious swishing sound.

"Your turn."

Athena was not sure whether he was making fun of her for a moment. _This is how we're gonna start? What's there to learn?_

Still, she did as she had been told, gripping her own weapon and sliding back one foot, slicing down.

She immediately realized that what he had shown her was not as easy as it had appeared when she wobbled as she brought the _bokutō _down, the faux blade's path turning into a curve.

"Hold still for a moment."

Suddenly, Simon knelt next to her, his hands on her left ankle. When he noticed her looking down at him, his eyebrows drew together. "I said 'hold still,' didn't I? Eyes front, now!"

His tone brooked no argument. Heeding his words, Athena felt him pushing at her foot and shin, turning them inward by a few degrees. "Your feet must be parallel. Placing the toes outward destabilizes your hip and leads to the blade path being corrupted."

After correcting her stance, he stood up. Feeling the rush of air caused by his movement, it was difficult for her to resist letting her gaze wander to him yet again. She twitched when his long fingers unexpectedly closed around her own.

"Hn. Strong grip… not bad. However, pay attention to parallel lines here, as well."

Shifting her hands and aligning her thumbs on top of the wooden sword's handle, he stepped back slightly.

"Try it again."

Athena lifted and swung the _bokutō _down once more. This time, her pretend-cut was much straighter, but it still lacked the speed and strength of his demonstration.

"This isn't quite right, either…" _How is such a basic move so difficult?!_

"Well spotted." His approving tone alleviated her frustration as he walked around to her back.

Athena's breath stalled for a moment when his arms reached around her from behind, his hands grasping her wrists. He was close enough to where she could catch the scent of his aftershave, feel his breath on her cheek as he tilted his head down. _What…!_

Simon continued his explanation with no sign of having noticed her sudden fluster.

"The sword must be an extension of your hands. Keep your wrists straight. The downward force comes from your upper arms and shoulders."

Holding on to the hilt of the _bokutō_, his hands on top of hers and his arms aligned with her own, he guided her movements through the set slowly a few times, taking a step back just as she had once again reached the stage where she was poised to strike. The sudden loss of contact almost caused her to lose her balance.

"Swing."

Taking a deep breath to steady her rapidly beating heart, Athena obeyed his command and sliced downwards. This time, the movement was swift and true.

"Hah! I did it!" It might only be a small step, but she was still elated at her success.

Simon's dry chuckle as he once again took up position a few feet away from her told her that it was probably too early to rejoice.

"Very good. Now we are going to do this a hundred times."

She stared at him "A _hundred times?_"

He barked out a laugh. "You said you wanted to _practice_. One successful execution hardly counts. Get to it!"

His suddenly commanding tone had Athena facing forward again in an instant, lifting the _bokutō _as he had shown her in preparation for her first swing of a hundred. She was surprised at how mindful she suddenly was of her body, of the way her feet connected with the ground, of every minute shift of the muscles in her arms. _This is…strange, but kind of nice. _Not even her self-defense training had imparted such awareness on her.

Next to her, she heard him unsheathe his own blade once more as he paralleled her movements, wooden imitation and sharp steel whistling through the air in tandem.


	5. Chapter 5

Simon unobtrusively observed Athena as she repeatedly went through the small set of movements he had shown her, ready to intervene at a moment's notice, should her pattern become too untidy. He did not have to devote much concentration to his own motions as they had been ingrained in him for so long, leaving him at leisure to contemplate their interactions.

He had been surprised when she had not commented on his altered appearance upon entering his apartment – not that he was excessively vain, her reaction merely seemed odd considering that everyonehad had something to say about it during the last couple of days, enough people to where she had heard about his haircut through the legal world's grapevine. Additionally, he thought he had seen something resembling dismay flicker across her features for a moment upon first laying eyes on him.

How did this fit with her later assessment, blurted out by her electronic companion, of how _young _he looked? It was nothing short of puzzling. However, being aware that their personal relationship was yet brittle, particularly as they kept tiptoeing around their memories of Metis Cykes, edging ever closer to the pain they shared even though she remained mostly unmentioned, he had known better than to ask.

For a moment, he had forgotten himself when she had stood before him, gaze lowered as she had reaffirmed Widget's statement. In spite of the fact that she now reached to his shoulder rather than barely above his waistline when it came to height, her pose, somewhat embarrassed and avoiding his eyes, had made her seem like the child he had known, and his reaching out to her had happened all but automatically. Yet, his hand in her hair had not felt right, would probably never feel right again.

Athena was not that child anymore. She was a young woman, energetic and quick to act, not sheltered from the discord of the outside world any longer, but with a chasm in her soul that mirrored his own, if her statements on the stand one month ago had been any indication.

_Dr. Cykes, please guide my hand. She came to me in an attempt to heal. I don't wish to aggravate the wounds her soul has sustained. _

Even hoping to avoid causing her further pain did not preclude the possibility of his doing just that – for one, his unlearned kindness, jealously guarded emotional life, and enforced masquerade of the last seven years had negatively affected his communicative abilities outside the combative environment of the courtroom, where he only required evidence, an ability to argue his case, and knowledge of basic mob psychology to drive his point home. Dealing with a person who _mattered _on a one-on-one basis was a completely different story.

For another… just now, when he had guided her movements… he had been disgusted at himself when he had felt instincts beginning to stir which had lain dormant for the better part of a decade, and it had taken a mental indexing of case-related autopsy reports from longest to shortest to fend off a visible reaction to their closeness and the scent of her hair.

It was understandable, and likely had nothing to do with Athena herself – he had not been this close to, let alone touched, a woman, clothed or not, in years. However, that did not render his inappropriate involuntary response forgivable.

_Hmph. Apparently I will have to come to terms with a number of things in this venture._

After his already complex reflections on his continued existence last week, the prospect of adding yet another complication to the course of action he had chosen seemed daunting, to say the least, but he was nothing if not dedicated to his causes. He would relearn to keep his base urges in check in order to be able to associate with Athena and offer her a glimpse at the bond the blade had forged between him and her mother, come what may.

Noticing an irregular movement next to him from the corner of his eyes, he turned his head to see Athena shifting her stance, letting the wooden sword dangle from her hands in front of her.

"… and one hundred."

Simon resheathed his blade. "Well done. I didn't see any further problems and your rhythm is good. Now give me five more."

"Huh?"

Her honest puzzlement at his command was oddly endearing.

Hiding his amusement, he explained, "I want to see if you can self-adjust your posture before we move on."

"Oh… okay." Apparently, that thought had not even crossed her mind.

Athena once more let her left foot slide backward, firmly grasped the hilt of her practice weapon, and swung. Her cut was straight, fast, and parallel to her body, which was lined up appropriately.

_Hm. Her experience with bladed weapons is clearly non-existent, but she does seem to have a good basic sense of body consciousness, even if she has yet to develop it to her advantage. Perhaps a genetic gift from her mother…?_

Dr. Cykes had reached _godan _rank in a martial arts discipline at the preposterously young age of 32, when most members of that rank were in their fifties – natural aptitude _had _to have played a role in her ranking.

He nodded at her approvingly. "Excellent. Before we move on, take a short break. I assume you know how to stretch your arm and shoulder muscles?"

She grinned at the compliment while she wiped the sweat off her brow with her forearm. "Yep, no problemo."

Occupied with his thoughts, Simon stepped behind the counter separating the kitchen from the barren living area, his fingers wandering absently over a sleeping Taka's wing, and opened the refrigerator, removing two bottles of water.

Returning to Athena's side, he held out one of the bottles to her as he crouched to place the other one on the floor. "Here. Keep stretching for a few more minutes while I engage in some personal practice."

A hundred repetitions of a basic swing had long since ceased to make him break a sweat, and although he had not touched a sword for a long time, the hostile environment in which he had dwelt for seven years had necessitated keeping up his strength and swiftness by other means in order to evade sudden attacks.

Walking away from her to ensure he had sufficient room, he crouched low in the half-kneeling position which was the start of more than one _iaidō kata_, preparing to perform a modified pattern including more elaborate movements that had been a favorite of Dr. Cykes'.

He willed all stray thoughts to cease, honing his focus to a point, his breathing slow and steady as he felt every muscle, every tendon signaling their readiness.

The blade slid out of its sheath in a fraction of a second, the hand which had steadied the _saya _joining his draw hand on the grip in no time at all. Forward lunge, one-handed sideways cut, turn to face another imaginary enemy, feign, parry, two-handed overhead cut –

A moment of hesitation.

Before resheathing, traditional _iaidō _practice required the symbolic act of _chiburi_, which amounted to shaking imaginary blood off the blade. While the pattern he was about to complete was not traditional per se, not performing the step would unbalance the form.

And yet, the symbolism hit too close to home.

Simon had stuck to _kenjutsu _forms when preparing for his teaching role over the weekend, reasoning that Athena would have to develop a basic rapport with the weapon as well as a fair amount of speed before attempting _iai _techniques, and now mentally cursed himself for faltering at what amounted to nothing more than a gesture.

Lining up the blade with its _saya_ without bothering to perform the _chiburi_, he let it slide back down into the sheath.

Athena had apparently not noticed that something had been amiss; she applauded enthusiastically after witnessing his effort.

"I can start practicing on that next week, right?" she joked, winking at him.

Simon wished she had not spoken up – now, he was obliged to answer, which would reveal his dismay at himself to her sensitive hearing.

Schooling his features into an answering grin, he returned, "But of course… as long as you manage to internalize about twenty basic movements, again as many short _kata, _and the required step techniques to connect them _this _week."

As expected, she looked at him curiously for a moment, but chose not to say anything.

He gestured for her to stand up. "Let's continue."

* * *

Before the two hours he had allotted for their practice session were over, Simon had guided her through five basic movement sets, repeating each a sufficient amount of time to allow her to thoroughly memorize how to stand, hold the weapon, and manipulate her swing into the desired arc. Thankfully, she had not required much hands-on correction after the first set, and when it had been necessary, he had refused to hesitate, and had willed any untoward impulses back under his control prior to making physical contact with her. Finally, curious to see if she could synthesize what she had learned, he had asked her to perform all sets in succession, and while her performance had not been what he would call flawless, it had been more than respectable for one evening's work. _We should be able to move into slightly longer_ _combinations_ _by next week if she continues to progress at this pace._

"We've covered a lot of ground tonight," he stated by way of ending their session when she lowered the _bokutō._

She nodded as she once more wiped the sweat off her forehead, disheveling her bangs.

"Oh man, am I gonna be able to move my arms at all tomorrow…?"

Recalling the strain his untrained muscles had been under when he had first taken to the blade, Simon felt compelled to dole out some advice as she reached for the clothes in which she had arrived, tying them together in order to not lose anything on the way home.

"Spend at least another half hour stretching before you go to bed to loosen up. Take a warm bath if you have a tub at your disposal. You will still be sore in the morning, but at least your range of movement shouldn't be overly impeded. Tomorrow night, if you feel up to it, practice at home so your arms and shoulders get used to this type of workout more quickly, but don't overdo it – I expect you to be able to continue when you come here for our next lesson. Take the _bokutō _with you."

Athena smiled up at him, and he was momentarily stunned by how happy she appeared in spite of her obvious exhaustion.

"I think I found one reason why Mom liked doing this so much already… that feeling that you are in touch with every part of your body is something else."

_I was right. _Usually, being able to utilize this sense took weeks for an inexperienced practitioner, and she had discovered it without explicit instruction in the space of only two hours.

_I wish you could be here to witness this, Dr. Cykes. My skills are nothing compared to yours, but I will instruct her as best as I can, for as long as she wishes to continue._

An unexpected feeling of peace, tinged with melancholy, spread through his being.

"I have always found it to be satisfying, as well," Simon stated aloud, the beginnings of a smile on his own lips. "Being conscious of your own body is a key component of preparedness, one of the philosophies behind the arts your mother practiced."

"Mom… I'm starting to understand…" Athena's gaze was unfocused, as though she sought to transmit her heartfelt message clear to the realm of the dead. Given that he too had been addressing a lot of his thoughts to his late mentor in the last few days, he could not think her strange for it.

Suddenly, the young woman stepped closer, into his personal space, and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Simon… for everything."

Hearing the slightest quiver in her voice as her head settled against him just underneath his chin, he was unsure how to respond for a moment; at least the emotional gesture, in its simplicity and half-remembered familiarity, did not seem to trigger any inappropriate bodily responses in him.

_Hn. Whatever happened to my own preparedness…?_

He would not push her away. They would be in close contact for an as yet undetermined amount of time, and his stunted interpersonal abilities would have to be redeveloped if he was to support Athena adequately in their current endeavor.

Simon could feel her breathing change in surprise as he enfolded her slim body in his arms for a moment, murmuring, "No thanks are necessary."

Athena squeezed him a little more tightly before she let go. "I've been meaning to do that for a few weeks now, but the time never seemed right…"

She looked up at him and her eyes shone with sincerity. "It's good to have you back."

The next instant, she was out the door.

"It's good to be back." When Simon voiced this thought to his empty apartment, he was startled by how right it felt.


	6. Chapter 6

Athena garnered some sideways looks on the bus due to the fact that she was still clothed in her mother's _hakama _and _gi _and clutched a wooden sword in her right hand, but she was too busy sorting through the strange accumulation of emotions in her heart to notice.

One one hand, there were happiness and a sense of accomplishment at the thought of having caught a first glimpse at what her mother had felt whenever she had practiced her sword arts, as well as at the fact that Simon apparently did not think her hopeless, as he would hardly praise her progress if he did not mean it.

On the other… she could not help but fervently wish that it was Metis Cykes teaching her instead of Simon. _I am such a jerk, and he doesn't deserve me being this ungrateful, but…! Mom…_

She had never missed her like this. It had taken her a few months after her mother's murder to fully understand that she was gone forever. Her relatives in Europe had mistaken her detachment for healing, but she had never fully entrusted her thoughts to them, not after they had fully bought into Simon's guilt and she had realized after her attempt to speak for him in court that they would never believe her if she told them differently. She could still hear their voices ringing in her head. _"Thank goodness that horrible man did not kill you as well, Athena chère…a wolf in sheep's clothing, that one. No wonder the justice system over there is going down the drain, with people like _him_ eating away at it from within…"_

She had cried alone in her bed late at night, after all the lights in the house had been turned off, but she had always felt like a bad girl for crying more for her friend than for her mother. She had _known _that she had been supposed to miss Metis Cykes, but there had always been her mother's work with Aura Blackquill, with Simon, the sword practice, and Athena had had to fit in during the short and infrequent breaks inbetween. The painful, heavy headphones had only completed the picture. It would not have been so difficult, had she been able to go to school more often and to make friends other than Junie, but stuck as she had been at the Space Center around all these adults with better things to do than minding a child, she had felt little connection to most of them, including her mother.

Simon had been the notable exception – somehow, they had taken to each other soon after he had begun showing up on a regular basis, as he had had to sit in their living area while her mother finished up some project or other with his sister more than once. At first, he had scared her a little, dressed all in black and always looking so serious, but when she had finally dared to introduce herself, he had smiled at her, had answered all of her questions in a way that let her know that he was taking her seriously, and had even on occasion joined in her games when the wait became too long and tedious. Shortly before the end of that almost-happy time, he had taken to staying well into the evening hours (she now knew that they had been working on the Phantom's profile at the time), tucking her in a few times when her bedtime arrived and he was still there, even though she had protested that she was _way too old_ for that, and that she _totally wasn't tired yet_, even as she had yawned so widely that he had probably had a good view of her tonsils.

And suddenly, without warning, both he and her mother had vanished from her life, and the dawning knowledge that her mother was lost forever had been almost easier to bear than being aware that Simon had sat in a cell somewhere, completely innocent, with every year possibly being his last.

But now… Simon was finally free. His innocence had been proven. And he had explained to her that all of her mother's hard work had been aimed at easing Athena's life by controlling the double-edged sword that was her special hearing, because Metis Cykes had loved her dearly, even if she had been inept at showing it.

Now that one of the most important people of her childhood was out of danger and back in her life, she was finally able to fully feel the other painful wound she had sustained on that day, which had run just as deep, but had been masked by the constant anxiety its twin had caused.

_Mom…I've been a terrible daughter. I wish I could tell you that I love you, that I understand now, that I didn't mean to be stubborn and resentful and unappreciative…Oh _god_, I miss you…_

Finally, for the first time in seven years, Athena Cykes was able to truly grieve for her mother, and it hurt as though she had lost her just yesterday.

She barely managed to hold in her tears until she had reached her apartment, but then they flowed freely even as she heeded Simon's recommendations. A mere hour later, she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

When Athena awoke the next day, her heart felt a lot lighter than the night before. Oh, the grief was still there, and would probably stay for a while yet, but considering that she had carried it around with her for seven years without even fully allowing herself to realize it, laying it bare and feeling its depth had been a relief even though it had brought fresh pain.

Her arms, on the other hand, felt unbearably heavy and sore, making her wince as soon as she lifted her right hand to hit her alarm clock's snooze button.

She somehow maneuvered the near-useless extremities through the sleeves of her office ensemble and made her way to work, knowing that even the worst muscle soreness from exercise tended to abate with time. _At least I hope it'll be over soon…_

Apollo was already there when she arrived. Looking up from his coffee cup, he greeted her with, "Huzzah, she lives!"

Athena made a face at him "Harr harr, very funny."

Her associate raised an eyebrow at her. "Why so grumpy? Did it not go well or something?"

She heard a hint of concern for her in his heart, reconciling her with his flippant greeting.

Smiling a little ruefully, she explained, "Actually, it went great… my arms are just really sore from swing practice."

"No whupping yet, huh?" Apollo's tone was stuck halfway between relief and amusement.

Athena plopped down next to him on the couch, joking, "Nope, I guess he wants to give me the illusion of a fighting chance before he moves on to that…"

A little more quietly, she continued, "Simon is actually really good at this teaching thing. I had no clue how much control goes into even the most basic movements, but he saw every little problem and helped me fix them…"

And then, his whole body had made contact with hers as he had guided her movements.

And then, he had performed that pattern she had vaguely recognized as her mother's while she had rested, his movements incredibly swift and graceful, at times flowing like a wave, at times erupting in a sudden burst of force, mesmerizing her in a way she could never have expected.

And then, when she had taken heart and hugged him as she had meant to on the day he had gone free, he had returned her embrace.

Athena internally shook her head at herself. _Don't be stupid and start pining for _him _of all people, girl. You haven't had the time for a boyfriend since you made it out of high school three years ago, and you're getting your signals mixed up. Yeah, you have an emotional connection with him - a very, very _old _one. That's exactly the problem. He thinks you're a _kid_, remember?_

His hand in her hair in the old gesture, as if she were still 11.

His voice never changing as his body had pressed against hers.

The various times throughout the evening when she had sensed his misgivings about… _something_. Something which he felt necessary to hide from her.

While she was not entirely thrilled at still being so obviously taken for a little girl, remembering all the instances proving that she was overreacting when it came to their interactions yesterday brought an odd sort of relief.

_I still wish he'd talk to me about the things he's hiding, but maybe that'll come with time… and even if it won't, I'm already so, so grateful that he is willing to reach out to me at all, after everything that's happened…_

Her ruminations had caused her to miss most of Apollo's reply.

"Come again?"

Her associate looked at her oddly, but obliged her request. "I just said that I kind of can't envision him being all patient and teacher-like… then again, you're probably a special case, considering for how long he's known you."

Athena felt a hint of pique rising within her at his assertion, even though she knew it was hardly fair. _How can you judge what he's like? You've never met him outside of court, and on his own terms. That short time he joined us at _Eldoon's _that night didn't count, what with everyone else around._

That was just it, though: Apollo had no way of knowing better.

She settled for answering, once again belatedly, "I doubt that, actually. He's not exactly butterflies and kittens in private, either, but it's not like he behaves like he does in court _all _the time, you know…"

"If you say so…" Her colleague took a deep breath. "Are you okay, Athena? You seem a bit out of it today."

"Yeah, I'm alright." Knowing that she owed him at least a little bit of an explanation after not really holding up her end of the conversation, she tried to put the situation into words.

"It's just… well, I'm not used yet to Simon being a part of my life again, and even though I'm happy about it, it's also… complicated and painful at times, not because of anything he does, just because… whenever we talk, it feels like Mom's ghost is in the room with us. We're doing this for exactly that reason, because I wanted to feel closer to her, I realize that, but it's like reopening wounds that never healed right in the first place, y'know? And I can hear in his heart that he has a hard time of it, as well, even though he'd probably rather bite his tongue off than admit to it…"

Once the words had come, she had been unable to stop herself; they had forced their way out in the urge to further lighten the still-heavy load her heart was bearing.

When she looked at Apollo, he seemed stunned for a moment, but then he smiled at her. Athena realized that, in opening up to him like this, she had maybe managed to take an important step towards finally fully reconciling with him.

After a pregnant pause, her associate quietly responded, "That sounds insanely convoluted, all right, and I can't promise that I fully understand it, but… I can't even begin to guess what it feels like to have gone through all this for seven years and just having come out at the other end like the two of you. It only makes sense that it'd take some time to work through it all, doesn't it?"

She was surprised to hear in his heart as well as his words that his sympathy _did _include Simon after her explanation, even though Apollo was not exactly her old friend's biggest fan.

"Hey, listen…" her colleague continued, "if you need another ear because there's something gnawing at you after these sessions, and you can't talk it through with him for whatever reason… just let me know, okay? No matter the time of day."

Athena teared up a little at his sincere offer, and winced slightly as she lifted her ungloved hand to wipe across her face.

"I'd hug you right now if I wasn't so sore."

Apollo shook his head, still smiling. "I'll take a rain check for now. Here, let me get you a cup of coffee, and then I'll see if Trucy is awake yet – she's a _beast _at shoulder massages…"


	7. Chapter 7

When Athena had finished climbing the stairs to Simon's apartment the following evening, she was still surprised at the fact that he had not so much as verified that it was her over the intercom before buzzing her into the door downstairs.

The door was closed when she got to the fourth floor landing, but he was clearly home – she could hear his voice crying out at regular intervals inside.

_What the hell…?_

Without hesitation, she turned the door knob. Thankfully, the door was unlocked, and she took a step in, not sure what to expect.

Simon was moving through a set in the middle of the open space, this one barren of flowing elements, abrupt and martial. Every so often, when his blade connected with an imaginary opponent, a clipped, wordless vocalization emerged from him – _kiai_. Her mother had never employed the traditional battle cry that went with most martial arts disciplines and some sword arts much, but she knew its purpose from her self-defense courses – to focus one's breathing, syncing it with the movements particularly in longer, more strenuous sets, and to bolster one's own spirit while startling or intimidating the opponent.

_This pattern is not Mom's. _Metis Cykes had always looked graceful and fluid during practice; this set was all about power.

Simon finished by dropping to one knee and thrusting forward viciously, a final yell accompanying the incredibly swift attack. "_Haa!_"

He remained in that position for another breath, then rose to his feet and turned towards her even as he resheathed his blade.

"Good evening. Apologies for not opening the door – I was in the middle of warming up when you arrived."

_Warming up?! _It seemed inconceivable that this display of strength and swiftness had mostly been a way for him to loosen up for their session.

"Mom didn't teach you that one, did she?" Athena blurted out before she could stop herself.

The pause before he answered spoke of his surprise. "Indeed not. I designed it after you left the day before yesterday. Your mother… she always reminded me that mastery of form includes development of an individual style, you could say."

_It suits you. _The thought was strong enough that Widget would have chirped it out, had she not chosen to leave her electronic companion at home this time around. Strength. Swiftness. Power. And yet, somehow… overly bristling, as if to preemptively frighten off everything and everyone threatening to get too close, aggressive in a way that seemed designed to protect rather than engage. A porcupine raising its quills.

_You're overanalyzing, Athena._

Redirecting her thoughts, she suddenly realized something odd. "How did you buzz me in if you were in the middle of the set?"

Wordlessly, Simon jabbed his chin toward the kitchen area, where Taka perched on a solid-looking bird stand.

She laughed. "I should've guessed. I _was _wondering why you didn't check who was downstairs…"

He shrugged slightly. "I was expecting no one else." A grin. "And only you would be impudent enough to come into my apartment without my opening the door."

It was not a complaint, more a good-natured ribbing. Athena chose to only smile in response.

"Are you still sore from Monday?" Simon inquired.

She shook her head. "Nope, right as rain. Turns out Trucy isn't only magical when it comes to pulling things out of her magic panties…"

He looked baffled. "Magic? And what do _panties_ have to do with anything?"

The way he emphasized the word got her to snort even as she realized that she had just uttered a complete _non sequitur._

"Trucy Wright, the boss's daughter, is a magician whose major stage prop is a pair of panties. She volunteered to give me a massage yesterday, and it really helped a lot."

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Wright-dono allows his offspring to perform tricks featuring underwear? I was aware that your workplace environment was somewhat bizarre, but…"

Now it was Athena's turn to shrug. "What can I say? We're all weirdos, so we work well together, and when we have some free time, we sometimes do stuff together just for fun. It's kind of like…"

She stopped herself, unsure how he would respond to her conclusion, only to feel his curious gaze on her.

A lot more quietly, she finished her sentence. "… like family."

"… I see." His heart emitted a combination of emotions with this short statement: Happiness (for her?), and the slightest hint of envy (of whom?).

Athena had an inkling that she might understand. _It's not like the prosecutor's office is a haven of trust and camaraderie…and Simon's behavior doesn't exactly scream "I want to make friends" to others. _If anything, the dismissive, sarcastic air he affected in public would have others remaining at a safe distance.

_You probably had to keep to yourself in jail, too, beyond all the small talk with the other inmates you keep going on about. You couldn't tell them the truth, after all. Seven years of hiding your true self from the world…and now, you've forgotten how to connect with people. Maybe you're even telling yourself that you don't want or need to, but your heart just gave you away._

Another thing she had no idea how to bring up in their conversations without accusations of pity.

_I'm here for you. Not because I feel I have to be since you've always been there for me, but because I _want_ to be. I just hope you come to realize that._

_Help us, Mom. Give us the strength to come to terms with everything that's happened. It'll never entirely go away, but…I want us to stop hurting._

She took a deep breath. "So, how about we get started?"

* * *

In that manner, two weeks passed. Athena showed up like clockwork on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Simon guided her through the basics, impressed by the fact that she visibly seemed to find it easier and easier to imitate his movements without correction. Additionally, a new surety in the way she walked, the way she held herself, slowly emerged, a measured relaxation which nevertheless signaled readiness. It reminded him of Dr. Cykes, filling him with satisfaction that he was succeeding in training her.

He categorically refused to acknowledge his stubborn instincts aching for more opportunities to touch her, especially now that she displayed the beginnings of a new body confidence. He also was not quite ready to openly admit to himself that he was beginning to miss her company on evenings between sessions.

To distract his thoughts from these two particular problems, Simon told himself that it was high time he acquired a few other pieces of furniture for his dwelling, causing Athena to quip at him, "I was wondering when you'd get sick of living in an empty box."

He had refrained from reminding her that he had lived in just such an _empty box_ for seven years, knowing that such a reference to his time in the clink would once again invite unwanted expressions of sympathy. Still, he supposed that it was pleasant to once again be in possession of tables, chairs, a couch, a desk, and a computer which did not happen to be the property of the state.

Simon had set Sunday aside for setting up the latter, as he had chosen to forgo purchasing a pre-configured model – for one, they always came with obnoxious amounts of trial software which needed to be uninstalled, and for another, they were never optimized to his liking. He would rather invest the time to arrange the system in the way he preferred.

It now was early evening. He had just finished installing the operating system when his doorbell rang.

_What the…? _

Currently, there were exactly two people in existence who knew where he lived: Athena, and Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth. Why either of them would show up without calling ahead on a weekend, he did not know.

_Hmph. Probably just someone trying to convert me to their religion._

He ignored the sound and was about to continue what he had been doing when his cell phone began buzzing next to his hand. A text.

Simon took a glance at the display – it was from Athena.

**_r u home? im dnstairs_**

He cringed at the atrocious spelling of her message while composing a reply.

**_I am. Hold on a moment._**

Wondering why on earth she had spontaneously decided to come by, he moved to buzz her in, standing in the door as she made her way up the stairs. Today, she was wearing her regular yellow ensemble rather than her mother's training clothes, and she had shouldered a backpack.

She waved up at him from the landing between the third and fourth floor.

"Hi! Am I disturbing you?"

The computer could wait. "Not exceedingly. What brings you here?"

Athena just smiled. "I'll tell you inside."

Now Simon was completely puzzled. _What in blazes is going on?_

He stepped back to let her inside, pushing the door shut behind her and turned – only to be confronted with a brightly-wrapped package she held out to him.

"Happy birthday, Simon. I'd sing, but I'm afraid I'm terrible at it."

February 1st. His birthday. He had completely forgotten.

There had been nothing about it to celebrate for the last seven years.

"I… thank you very much, Athena. You didn't have to get me anything."

She smiled up at him. "Don't be silly, I wanted to."

Then, her gaze seemed to fully take him in for the first time today, and her eyes widened.

As he had decided to stay in today, Simon had not exactly bothered looking presentable. The hooded sweater from his university fencing team still fit, but was somewhat ratty at the elbows and hem. The black track pants were in a similar state. He had not bothered with wearing socks – or with shaving this morning, as a hint of stubble clearly showed.

_Hmph. Cue some flippant comment of how I am letting myself go, no doubt._

Athena surprised him once again. "Fencing team? No wonder you're so good… How long did you fence before you started training with Mom?"

He found himself chuckling under his breath. "Why don't we have a seat before continuing our conversation?"

"Oh, yeah…" She combed through her ponytail with her fingers, the old sign of embarrassment. Apparently, she had not even noticed that they were still standing by his apartment door. "Also, you still have to open your present!"

She held out the package to him once more, and this time, he took it out of her hands.

"As you wish."

Athena followed him to the corner near the window where he had arranged a couch, two armchairs and a low coffee table to form a sort of living area, sitting down on the sofa next to him and watching him closely as he removed the decorative paper from the package, opening the box inside.

It was a large bottle of _umeshu_, Japanese plum liqueur, of the brand Metis Cykes had most enjoyed and on occasion shared with him and Aura.

"I know you probably haven't had a drink in a while," Athena hesitantly ventured to say, "but I thought, well, to celebrate the day… and everything else…"

He could not help but grin. "Are you proposing a toast?"

"Um, yeah…?"

"Are you furthermore proposing to drink with a prosecutor even though you are obviously not legally allowed to drink?"

She shrank a little, even though she muttered under her breath, "Stupid backwards prohibitionary laws…"

Simon shook his head as he rose to walk into the kitchen, returning with two glasses containing a few ice cubes each. The look on her face was priceless.

"I disavow all knowledge of your imbibing this liquor, should anyone ask. Go ahead and pour."

Athena hurried to do as he had asked, filling both glasses halfway with the golden liquid. When they both held one in their hand, he silently gestured for her to do as she had proposed.

She lifted her glass slightly. "To your freedom. To the future. And to Mom."

Simon suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He nodded, clinking his glass against hers, and took his first sip of an alcoholic beverage in many years.


	8. Chapter 8

An hour and three drinks later, Simon seemed decidedly mellow, if not so far gone that he would have started slurring just yet. Considering that he had perforce had no chance to improve his ability to hold his liquor, Athena had expected him to be a bit of a lightweight. He had nodded his assent when she had suggested putting the bottle in the kitchen and therefore out of reach of both of them, before the delicious taste of the _umeshu_ would lead them into overdoing it. _No sense in either one of us drinking ourselves into blackout – tomorrow is Monday, after all._

He had regaled her with tales from his fencing career, as she had requested. She had not been surprised to learn that he had held championship titles in the sport – it explained his prowess in her mother's favored arts even though he had only been able to train with Metis Cykes for about half a year before taking the bar, and then another year as a fledged prosecutor.

"Just curious," Athena, whose own tongue had been ever so slightly loosened by the alcohol, ventured to ask, "why'd you decide to switch from fencing to _kenjutsu _and _iaidō_?"

His eyes took on a faraway look. "When your mother learned of my inclination towards bladed weapons, she invited me to a friendly match. She fought without protective gear, with a weapon that wasn't dulled or modified for sporting purposes, and her motions were so quick as to be almost invisible. Needless to say, she beat me soundly – in about five seconds, no less. I felt honored when she agreed to instruct me in her hobby as well as her professional field. Learning from her, developing my speed and balance far beyond what I had known until then, was exhilarating. I never reached her proficiency level, no matter what she may have said to encourage me. She was always one step ahead of me, driving me to ever train harder... I never looked back."

Hearing him speak so reverently about her mother, and about the arts which she herself was just now beginning to learn from him, caused something in Athena's chest to tighten.

"If you loved it so much, why did you stop?"

He took a breath. "As I told you…"

"No, Simon." Had the drink given her the fortitude to ask, or had it been the relaxed atmosphere, which she had thought unachievable when she had first visited him in his office?

"Tell me the truth."

When he looked at her, there suddenly was a vulnerability in his eyes which she had only witnessed once before: While she had used Widget on him in court.

Silence fell for a few endless seconds. Finally, he spoke up again, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes fixed on his hands as if once again seeing shackles encircling his wrists. "When that which you love takes away not only your own future, but that of everyone around you… when you have no choice but to let it define who you are, for better or worse… when it ceaselessly forces you to relive the moment everything changed… even the most ardent love affair will turn to hatred."

His admission was like a punch to the stomach.

_I asked you to teach me, without a clue that _that _was how you felt…and you agreed in spite of all this…? _

Athena felt like crying.

With a voice that suddenly sounded raw to her own ears, she asked quietly, "What changed your mind…?"

She already knew at least part of how he would answer.

"Your request. I thought about denying it right away, I will admit. However… it would have amounted to sticking my head in the sand. To jettison all of the good memories just to exorcise the dreadful ones which shaped us both. To deny your mother's legacy, which we both represent. It… was a difficult decision to make."

Now, her tears _did _start flowing, even though she did not dare make a sound. _I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…_

Her self-incriminating thoughts were interrupted by him looking up once more, straight into her eyes.

"And I am glad you forced my hand into making the right choice."

The sudden flare-up of _gratefulness_ in his heart, of all things, caused a sob to wrench its way out of Athena's throat as she doubled over, her chest heaving with an emotion which was entirely inexplicable, both anguish and relief, both pain and its sudden absence. She felt his hand on her shoulder and turned. Suddenly he held her tightly, and she was weeping into the crook of his neck, his cheek scratchy against her temple.

It took the better part of fifteen minutes for her to cry herself out, and for a short while, she limply rested against his solid presence, listening to the steady beating of his heart.

"Sorry about that," she eventually murmured. "Here it's your birthday, and I end up digging into stuff you didn't wanna share, and then I blubber all over you…"

His voice was no more than an exhalation of breath right next to her ear. "Don't be daft. You have nothing to apologize for."

No discord in his heart, no bitterness, just a warm wave of care, interspersed with the beginning flickers of a lightness she had had not heard from him in seven years.

She lifted her face from his shoulder and gave him a watery smile. _We're slowly moving past this… I can feel it. But Mom… we'll both keep you in our hearts. Forever._

After a moment, embarrassment at her emotional display set in, and she had a feeling that, should she remain in his presence, things might segue into awkwardness sooner rather than later. "… I should go home."

Athena rose from the couch, reaching for her backpack, and made for the door. When she looked back at Simon over her shoulder one more time, he was smiling back at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow for practice. Good night, Simon."

He nodded. "To you as well."

A moment later, she pulled the door shut behind her.

* * *

After Simon had watched her leave, he found himself unable to rise and go back to his original task for the day.

She had remembered his birthday; not only that, she had made it a point to stop by even though she could have just as well congratulated him upon their regular meeting tomorrow.

He had never exactly had an abundant number of close acquaintances, being somewhat introverted by nature, but until Athena had re-entered his life, he had been unaware of just how solitary his existence had been, particularly after regaining his freedom. Whereas the clink had made it impossible to avoid mingling with the other inmates multiple times during the day as all major facilities were communal, the prosecutor's office was just an assortment of closed doors behind which each of them pursued their respective cases separately. However, both of these settings shared one characteristic: They forced him to employ a public façade, to be what was expected of him.

Athena had done no such thing tonight. She had come by out of her own volition, expecting nothing but to spend a few hours in his company – for his sake. She had not once commented on the fact that he looked as though he had fallen out of bed this morning. She had shoved his façade aside, wishing to know the truth behind his prior prevarications, even though she must have known that, as with so many topics between them, revealing this truth would yet again pick away at the many-layered scar tissue that was their past. As she had been unable to drop the topic, so he had been incapable of denying her an honest answer.

When Athena had suddenly begun sobbing, he had experienced a moment of panic, wishing that he could take back the words which had come out of his mouth. However, he had quickly realized that this moment had had to occur, were they ever to move beyond their pain, and that, even though seeing her in anguish had sent a stab through his own heart, it was something he would rather she did not suffer through by herself.

Holding her as she had cried had been purely instinctual – just as he had heeded the urge to shelter her from the unforgiving blindness of Lady Justice all those years ago, he now had unthinkingly sought to provide shelter from the pain inside her, and for some unfathomable reason, the fact that she would entrust her tears to him so freely had brought a mélange of surprise, sympathy, and a small measure of joy.

_You would let me see you at your most vulnerable and turn to me for comfort, although you are part of a new family which would gladly provide you with a shoulder to cry on. _

_You would seek me out of your own volition again and again, even though I tried my hardest to turn you away for the better part of a year._

_You would try to see the real me, even though you know that it will inevitably bring up painful memories._

_Thank you for trusting in me. I hope I will be able to justify it._

_Thank you for insistence on being a friend to a man who never had many, and not just doing it out of pity._

_Thank you for never ceasing to remind me that I have a life to live again._

He walked into the kitchen, pouring himself another drink. Lifting the glass, he quietly intoned, "To friendship."


	9. Chapter 9

There was a spring in Athena's step when she arrived at the Wright Anything Agency office on Monday, Widget glowing a content green. Joining Apollo on the couch as he was watching the news, her smile never wavered, and she even _whistled_, if horribly off-key, when she took her turn cleaning the toilet.

Apollo watched her in amusement, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom with his arms crossed.

"What exactly are you so thrilled about on a Monday morning?"

She shrugged. "Good weekend. Really good weekend."

"O… kay?"

Athena's vigorous movements with the toilet brush came to a halt. "It's… difficult to explain."

Apollo had not been born yesterday. "That would be code for 'It has to do with Blackquill,' right? I thought you didn't usually practice on weekends?"

She turned toward him. "Got me. You are way too perceptive sometimes, Apollo."

Her associate pointed toward his own chest with both thumbs, waggling his eyebrows. "Perceiving. It's what I do. So, gonna share? I mean, if you want to?"

For a moment, Athena remained silent, attempting to sift through her thoughts and explain her elation in terms someone outside of the situation could comprehend. Deciding to begin with the basis for her visit, she stated, "I went to his place yesterday evening - for his birthday."

"Oh, was there some sort of party?" Apollo inquired with an incredulous smile.

She snorted. "Um. Simon throwing a party. That'll be the day. No…" her voice went quiet, "to be honest, I'm pretty sure he totally forgot."

Her colleague's smile vanished. "His own birthday? That's… wow."

Athena could almost see his mind reassessing her dark-clad prosecutor friend once again, and cautioned, "You'd best not make this face anywhere near him. If there's anything he can't stand, it's pity."

Predictably, Apollo cringed. "That man is way too complicated for his own good – the more you talk about him, the more I'm worried about ever exchanging a word with him outside the courtroom."

She shook her head in slight exasperation. "You might be surprised if you'd just give it a try. Anyway, I wasn't finished."

Suddenly, her associate grinned and pointed towards her hand. "Maybe you should finish _this_ up real quick and come back out to the couch…?"

Athena looked down at the toilet brush she was still holding, which was by now merrily dripping blue liquid all over the seat and floor. "Uh, yeah…"

Five minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and sat down next to Apollo. He shoved a cup of coffee towards her.

"So. Blackquill's birthday. The suspense is _killing _me."

Athena giggled. "You're impossible. So… well, this is where it gets complicated. We talked. I mean, _really _talked. Granted, I kind of pushed things a bit because I told him I caught him holding stuff back… and then, when he told me the truth…"

She was slightly horrified to feel herself tearing up yet again, in spite of still smiling widely.

Apollo put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. "It made you so happy you're _crying _just remembering it? Must've been _some_ confession..."

His flippant tone caused her to playfully punch at his chest. "I can _tell _what you're implying, and no, we're _still _not an item. Get your head out of the gutter."

Her associate raised his hands in mock defeat. "It was never _in _it, I swear! So… what was it all about, then?"

Athena sighed. "I… I kind of don't think I should share that, because it was private… but that's the _thing_, y'know? He opened up to me. He didn't want to tell me the truth because he knew it would hurt me, and at first, it did, but then… _gah, _this is really hard to explain…"

Exasperated with herself, she gave up. "Short version: I ended up bawling all over his shoulder, and he was really comforting, and we both felt better afterwards. The end."

Apollo seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "Blackquill. _Comforting. _That kind of fits about as well together as _Blackquill _and _party_…"

"Not if you'd known him seven years ago, it doesn't," Athena assured him.

"So you're saying… he's starting to become more like he was?"

Athena could feel her smile creeping back onto her features. "Yeah. Something like that."

Apollo took a sip of his coffee, obviously contemplating what to say.

"As much of an impression as he left on you back then, even though it sounded as though you were pretty shy… I kinda wish I could've met him back then. To be honest, I think I remember _seeing_ him a couple of times when Clay and I went to visit the Space Center, but of course he wasn't sticking around the visitor areas…"

He took a deep breath as he remembered the friend he had lost a little more than a month ago, and Athena impulsively leaned forward to give him a quick hug.

His smile was a little shaky when she let go. "Thanks… I needed that. Anyway… I'm really glad that the way he's behaving towards you is making you so happy. I'd thank him for being your friend again, but I have a feeling it'd come out all wrong and he'd verbally eviscerate me six ways from Sunday…"

Visibly trying to shake his current bout of sadness, Apollo winked at her.

"Also… I think you can thank him for the fact that you haven't tripped on any stairs recently. Your way of walking has changed – you suddenly look really purposeful and sure of yourself. Kinda like him. Must be the training."

She laughed. "I'll work it into my next litany of thanks – somehow, I always end up saying it to him one way or another. Not that he's much better, although he's more eloquent and roundabout about it."

"_Man_, you are one odd-as-heck couple, platonic or not." Her associate shook his head in amusement. "But hey, if it works, it works."

"Exactamente."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door; it seemed a prospective client had arrived.

* * *

After consulting with the client, a little old lady whose daughter had been arrested after a body had been found in her dog grooming business, Apollo ended up taking the case, with Athena providing support.

The following morning, they found themselves in court, going head to head with Prosecutor von Karma. This was their first time dealing with the whip-happy German woman, who had them cornered at every turn. It was all they could do to keep a judgment from being delivered more than once, and they were both glad when lunch recess was called. After Irene Setter was led back to the detention center for the time being, they ventured out of the defense lobby into the hallway to get a snack at the court's little concession stand. Making their way down the corridor while talking about the case, Athena spotted a familiar tall, black-clad figure with a hawk on his shoulder walking their way when she looked up.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Simon came to a halt in front of them, inclining his head in greeting.

"Justice-dono, Athena…"

He smirked. "… and yes, it must be an immense surprise for you to encounter me at _court_, of all places. I see Justice-dono seems to have completely lost his wits over it."

Athena glanced sideways at Apollo, who was gaping up at her friend. She elbowed him in the side, and her associate immediately started scratching at the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Uh, sorry, Prosecutor Blackquill, hadn't seen the hair yet…"

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Hn. You are behind the times on that particular topic."

Knowing that this line of conversation was likely to go nowhere fast, Athena inquired, "How's your trial going?"

Her friend's expression darkened momentarily. "The term 'farce' would be describing it too kindly. The defense lawyer is a Payne."

She was a bit puzzled about his complaint. "Well, they're kind of supposed to be a pain for you…"

Simon chuckled. "You misunderstand, although your interpretation also applies - in more ways than one. No, the lawyer is another Payne brother."

Next to Athena, Apollo cringed. "There's _three _of them?!"

He once more seemed surprised when Simon nodded. "That was approximately my reaction, as well, Justice-dono."

"Uhh," her associate tried holding up the conversation now that the ball was back in his court, "aren't the other two your colleagues, though?"

"Does this in some way oblige me to assess them as anything other than pompous buffoons?" Simon inquired back with a grin.

Lifting a hand to scratch Taka's neck, he continued, "My feathered friend has taken a particular interest in Gaspen Payne's ridiculous hairpiece recently. It would be amusing if he didn't always bring it back to my office to ensure that it is properly dead, as Payne usually follows him and demands it back."

The mental image was so funny that Athena burst out laughing, and even Apollo couldn't hold back a snicker.

"Oh man… text me a picture sometime, I've _gotta _see that!" she requested once she had caught herself.

The momentary grin on Simon's face was positively mischievous. "I will see what I can do."

Then, he changed topics, his expression neutral once more. "Who is your opponent today?"

Apollo apparently considered her friend approachable enough by now, as he was the one who answered.

"Prosecutor von Karma."

He seemed stunned when Simon grimaced. "My deepest condolences. That woman is… enervating."

Athena heartily agreed. "You can say that again…"

She affected a high voice that did not sound like the irascible German woman whatsoever, intoning, "You foolishly foolish fools! I'm a perfect prodigy and you will cower before my whip! Oh, and did I say 'fools' yet?"

Apollo snorted next to her, but Simon's mouth remained set in a grim line.

"The first thing she said to me upon her return from Europe two weeks ago was that, had _she _been given the Phantom case, he would not have remained at large for as long as he did."

"She said _what?_"

"She did _not!_"

Both Athena and Apollo had uttered their incredulous responses at the same time.

Athena in particular was suddenly angry beyond words at the woman's gall. "I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind…"

She readied herself to stomp back towards the courtroom and storm into the prosecutor's lobby when Simon's hand on her shoulder stopped her in the process of shoving up her sleeves.

"I didn't share this piece of information with you for the sake of an emotional reaction. Your training doesn't solely apply to the times when you are holding a blade."

Simon's gaze flickered over to the clock on the wall.

"The comedy of errors I am forced to participate in today resumes in a few minutes. If you will excuse me..."

With a curt nod to Apollo, he let go of Athena's shoulder after giving it a quick squeeze, and continued walking down the hallway.

His words reverberated in her mind, and she thought back to what he had told her about the philosophy of the sword arts on their first evening of training, and of his account of her mother besting him within seconds.

_Preparedness. Always be prepared to meet your opponent. Anticipate their moves. _

_What Prosecutor von Karma said…it's stupid. She'd have had to consult an expert, as well, and Mom was the best there was. That means the Phantom still would have struck, and with the government trying to sweep everything concerning the HAT-1 sabotage under the rug, everything would've probably been the same, only that I would've gone to jail. Not only that, Simon managed to hide away the psych profile, and the Phantom would've probably managed to get his hands on it if it hadn't been for him, so it would've been even more difficult to unmask the guy. She didn't think this through whatsoever. So why… oh. _Oh.

Her gaze refocused on Apollo, who was staring after Simon with a puzzled frown. "What was _that _all about?"

Athena's grin held an uncharacteristic hint of grimness.

"He just told us von Karma's weak spot."

"…Huh?"

Looking around to make sure the walls did not suddenly have ears in the shape of von Karma or her lackey detective, Athena explained.

"She jumps to conclusions very quickly, and she underestimates everyone while overestimating herself. Oh, she looks as though she has it all together, but there _must _be an element she hasn't thought through, because she didn't think it was important, or because she thinks we're too stupid to call her on it. Find the hole in von Karma's reasoning, and she'll fall like a house of cards, the way she insists on being _perfect _all the time. Check her for tics, and I'll check her for discord when we're back in session – she'll give herself away when we find the flaw."

"Damn," Apollo breathed. "First, Blackquill turns out to be enjoyable to talk to, and then he pulls a Yoda…"

Athena had to snicker at the pop culture reference, although her vengeful satisfaction remained. _It's time for me to dole out a little schooling of my own…and I'm gonna hit you right where it hurts the most, von Karma: In your pride. Oh, this is going to be _so _much more fun than just trying to punch you – _and _it's not gonna get me arrested, either. _

"I told you so… well, let's go grab some food, and prepare to cut her down."

"Don't you start now with the sword metaphors."

They walked away with a "Not Guilty" verdict an hour after court went back into session.


	10. Chapter 10

Friday evening, Simon and Athena finally finished up the basic patterns he had planned out for her training; now, the time had come to teach her how to connect them into longer movement sets via posture shifts and steps.

After giving her an opportunity to rest, Simon instructed, "This time, I want you to exclusively focus on my leg movements. Pay no heed to the sword – we will add in swings later."

He moved through three patterns fluidly, consciously reminding himself to slow down enough to where she could observe.

When he returned to his beginning stance and sheathed his blade, he found her staring at him.

"Is something the matter?"

Athena visibly seemed to shake off whatever had preoccupied her. "Uh, no, sorry… Can you show me again? This is a lot longer than what we've done so far…"

Simon was reasonably sure that she had just told him a half-truth, but chose not to inquire further. Nodding shortly, he repeated his demonstration, slowing his motions some more.

"Try to duplicate it."

Her grimace let him know that she was hardly confident about this, but she dutifully tried. He immediately spotted numerous mistakes and sighed internally.

_How am I going to correct this without just showing her over and over and hoping that she will somehow self-adjust?_

Simon had not needed her mother to guide him in acquiring these techniques, as they had been quite similar the footwork he had already learned during his fencing years. Athena did not have such a background, however, and so he could hardly expect her to fly through this part of instruction.

_How would you have taught her, Dr. Cykes?_

He recalled his mentor showing him the steps, repeating the same pattern multiple times – if one had set it to music, it would have resembled…

Inspiration struck.

"I don't suppose you have dancing experience?"

She shook her head. "It never interested me, to be honest."

_Hmph. It would have been too easy. _Simon mulled over the problem some more, and realized that he did not have to dismiss his idea entirely out of hand, even if she had answered in the negative.

"Very well, here is what we are going to do: You are going to stand behind me and hold on to my sides, and we are going to move through the entire progression together. Watch my feet, feel how I shift my weight. We will do this three times. After that, face forward, and try to follow without looking. I will gradually move faster until we reach performance speed. Understood?"

After she nodded, he assumed position with his back turned towards her and waited.

Even though he had solicited the contact, had been prepared for it, Simon had to suppress a twitch when her slim fingers hesitantly made contact with his body just above his hips, their warmth radiating through his _gi_. Other than her sobbing against him last weekend, this touch was unmitigated by sadness and the urge to console, and a slow burn hesitantly flared to life in his abdomen.

He barely kept himself from swearing aloud. _Oh for _fuck's _sake, you lecherous fool, get a hold of yourself!_

While Simon had initially planned to ask Athena whether she was ready before beginning to move, he now decided to forgo verification, lest she heard something in his heart which _definitely _was not meant for her ears.

Ignoring his traitorous instincts as best as he could, he began moving through the set at a leisurely pace, feeling her lag behind all through the first round, although at least she did not stumble. Her fingers held on tightly, moving around slightly with every out-of-sync step, which did _not _help him in his predicament.

The second round was a vast improvement already, and he allowed himself an internal sigh of relief as her grip on his sides steadied and lost pressure.

By the time they finished the third round, she was moving along flawlessly, now only maintaining the touch for guidance. She kept pace when he sped up, until they were at full speed in perfect unison.

"Stop. Very good. Now show me how you do by yourself."

Her hands did not leave his body.

"Athena, you can let go now."

"Huh? Oh! Sorry…"

As her fingers loosened and slid away, Simon realized to his dismay that his self-control had failed him this time. There had never been a time when he had been so grateful for the loose fit of his _hakama_, as the voluminous piece of clothing hid his embarrassing state from being spotted immediately. Still, if he turned toward her, she might be able to see… he could not risk it.

_Damn you, Blackquill. What is wrong with you?_

_She mustn't know._

He did not know how to help himself any other way: he willed his mind into the past, to the darkest day of his time in the clink, the memory of which he had locked away so far in the recesses of his thoughts that he had almost, but not quite, managed to bury it.

Unadulterated terror. Sudden darkness. A woman's voice, wailing. Shame.

The memory slammed into him like a cresting wave, stealing his breath for an instant, but it did what he needed it to do: His erection flagged within seconds.

Hiding his harsh exhale of mingled relief and anguish behind a cough, he finally turned around.

Athena was standing in the beginning position for the pattern, eyeing him curiously.

Once again, he did not trust himself to speak without giving himself away to her ability. Acting as though nothing had happened, Simon made a sharp gesture indicating for her to begin.

For a moment, a flicker of hurt ghosted across her expression before she began to move, and he once again cursed his weakness.

_My apologies, Athena. In losing control, I placed myself in a situation in which I couldn't avoid causing you pain. It won't happen again._

This time, she managed to replicate the pattern perfectly.

* * *

To say Athena was confused on the way home would have been an understatement – both about Simon's reactions, and about her own.

As usual, she had been mesmerized by the fluid way he had moved through his demonstration, getting slightly flustered when he had caught her spacing out afterwards. And then…

Even though she was quite used to physical contact with him by now after a few weeks of training, even though she had gotten snot all over his sweater last weekend, holding on to his waist as he had repeated the pattern had been… different. Maybe it was because this set had involved more motion than any of those before, transferring from the firmness of his body through only one thin layer of cloth into her fingertips, but she had had to resist the sudden urge to step closer, feel _more_…

_Urgh, Athena…you've _had _this conversation with yourself before. He's your friend, and you're like… like his kid sister to him. It just. Isn't. Happening. And what are you doing getting all worked up about this anyway – there wasn't anything the least bit titillating about it._

_Maybe you just need to get laid – it's been a while._

While she was not excessively fond of one-night stands, she _had _hooked up during her two-year tenure in college on occasion, when the stress of her intensive program had become too overwhelming. There had been no time for a relationship or casual dating, but a sweaty tangle between the sheets every two to three months had been manageable, and certainly healthier stress relief than resorting to alcohol or drugs would have been.

Unfortunately, doing something like this now that she had returned to California would be a lot more difficult; she didn't know anyone in the surrounding colleges, going for a Themis senior would make her feel uncomfortable the next time she talked to Junie, as their graduating classes were exceedingly small, and she could not picture herself having no-strings-attached sex with any of the few male acquaintances she had. Bars were right out – she did not feel like running the risk of being roofied just because she was starting to feel the urge to scratch an itch.

_Just deal with it. He doesn't want you like that, and you don't really want him like that, either. You _don't._ You're just stir-crazy, and sooner or later, it'll either go away, or you'll find some way to _make _it go away. _Preferably some way other than masturbation, as she had the feeling that she knew exactly what her mind would present her with.

Shoving the issue aside with considerable effort, she found herself confronted with the other puzzle of the night: After she had let go of Simon, he had seemed completely lost in thought for a moment, his back mostly turned to her. Suddenly, he had tensed, as if bracing himself for a physical blow, and when he had finally moved to face her, he had deliberately not spoken a word. As he knew exactly how her ability worked, that she would be able to hear what was in his heart the moment she heard his voice, she was aware that he had been hiding something from her, particularly since there had been something indefinable in his eyes – something cold, hard, and steely, firmly shutting out everything.

_Why was tonight so… strange? I know, we're still getting accustomed to each other again, but this… this didn't feel like progress, even if the way we've been stumbling forward so far hasn't exactly been easy and involved both of us being in pain. This…tonight felt more like we're starting to hit a road block._

For a moment, she considered taking Apollo up on his offer and calling him, but did not have the slightest idea how she would address the issue without inviting suggestions she really did not need to hear right now.

_With the way he's been winking and nudging, he'd probably tell me to just go ahead and see if Simon wants to get it on…like I'd ever be able to ask him that, even if I didn't know that he wasn't interested. _

_Nope, girl, this one's entirely on you. You've gotten used to Simon adjusting your posture, and if you end up doing this kind of practice again, you'll get used to it, too. _

When Athena stepped off the bus into the cool evening air, her decision was firm in her mind.

_Your friendship is too important to risk over your libido having other ideas, and that's that._


	11. Chapter 11

Athena regained her composure over the weekend, strengthened by her resolve.

Taking the _bokutō _to the park on a sunny but cool Sunday to have enough space for practice, dressed in her mother's practice gear, she found a wide-open patch of lawn on which she would not accidentally get into the path, took a few deep breaths of the fresh air of what passed for late winter in California, and took position.

She exercised through the new step pattern slowly at first, attempting to add in the swings and thrusts which fit each movement. A group of children were slowly but surely congregating, their parents in tow, drawing yet other passers-by, but she barely even noticed, fully focused on each shift of her muscles, each sword movement being delivered in precisely measured strength.

Once the motions felt like they flowed out of her automatically, she gradually accelerated until she was flying through the set, her arms almost a blur, her feet all but dancing across the short lawn. Exhilaration began to make her heart soar, at the fact that patterns which had been foreign and difficult to execute in isolation for her only three weeks ago now combined with little effort. She had not been physically weak before, her running prowess and shoulder throws could attest to that, but now she felt a mixture of strength and grace inhabiting her which reminded her of the effortless, self-possessed poise with which her mother had carried herself in everything she had done.

_Look, Mom! Look at me! _And just for a moment, it almost felt as though Metis Cykes' eyes were on her, wherever she was now.

Suddenly feeling adventurous, and wanting to cap the repeating motions with a finish that would also reference Simon as her teacher, she chose a point halfway through the pattern, where a crouch was required, to add in a two-handed thrust forward with a yell, stilling in that position.

_"Kyaa!"_

Only now, when her heart was beating in her throat with exertion, did she fully realize just how many people had accumulated around her, as the crowd began to loudly applaud.

Catching her breath for a few seconds, she eventually rose and took a short bow, as people were still clapping around her. It did the trick – the accumulation of passers-by gradually dispersed. Then, she noticed twin flashes of blue from the corner of her eyes and turned.

There were Mr. Wright and his daughter, walking up to her with identical smiles on their faces. Apollo had been with them, as well, but he had remained behind on the path, as he was still too busy gaping at her.

"That was _amazing_, Athena!" Trucy exclaimed.

The urge to card through her ponytail when embarrassed would be the death of her someday, particularly when it was tied up into a bun.

"What, this…? Really? I'm still a complete beginner…"

Her boss shook his head. "I'm obviously no expert, but _that _did not look like something a 'complete beginner' could pull off. My compliments to your teacher – I didn't think Prosecutor Blackquill had it in him."

"Incidentally…" Trucy winked at her. "How are those whuppings coming?"

Athena laughed. "Still none of that, we've been working on solo forms. And honestly, if you think _that _was any good, you should see _him _doing a set or two. Next to Simon, I _do _look like the complete amateur that I am – he's a lot faster, _and _he uses a real blade…"

The younger girl whistled through her teeth. "Sounds like sight-for-sore-eyes territory, and _you _have a front row seat for that three times a week. Lucky you!"

Her boss stared at his daughter, aghast for a moment. "Trucy, could you _not _refer to Blackquill as _sight-for-sore-eyes territory _in front of me…?"

She laughed at him. "No worries, daddy, I think he's already claimed…"

A wink at Athena, who had already opened her mouth to respond when Apollo's voice sounded from behind Mr. Wright.

"Nope, they're just friends. Isn't that right, Athena?"

For some reason, now that he had finally come around to accepting that there was nothing between her and Simon, the way he had decided to take over the task of explaining it inexplicably annoyed her for a moment. Nevertheless, she nodded.

"That's right."

Apollo grinned. "And I gotta say, either he's a miracle worker, or thrilled to bits that you're insanely talented. To be able to do _this _after only three weeks… but we'll probably never know, considering that you'd probably both claim it's due to the other's skill."

At that point, a low buzzing sound came from Athena's bag, which had been lying forgotten in the grass. Her cell phone had received a text message from Simon.

**_Apologies for not sending this sooner – it slipped my mind._**

Attached was a picture of Gaspen Payne, his face crimson and his head divested of hair, clutching his hairpiece to his chest while desperately attempting to evade an attacking hawk's talons.

Athena laughed until tears sprang into her eyes, and barely managed to turn the phone to show it to the others, who were taken aback by her sudden explosive expression of mirth.

Apollo promptly doubled over laughing, clutching at his stomach, Trucy let out a high-pitched giggle, and Mr. Wright guffawed into his fist.

When the bout of hilarity had halfway subsided, her boss managed to say, still somewhat out of breath, "I can't _wait _to hear the build-up to him sending you this photo… care to enlighten me?"

Athena grinned over at Apollo, who was currently wiping across his face with both hands in an attempt to catch himself. "You tell the boss, I'm gonna have to say thanks for this thoughtful little _present_…"

**_best. pic. ever! thx_**

The answer came within seconds.

**_NP? YW? Pick whichever abbreviation is in fashion these days. See you tomorrow._**

She smiled down at her phone for a moment. _Textspeak is not your thing, huh? Could've guessed. _

After the strangeness of Friday, the note of amused exasperation which rang from his response, as well as the humorous interlude caused by the image he had sent, managed to lighten her heart. _I look forward to tomorrow. _

Slipping the electronic device back into her bag, she noticed Mr. Wright chuckling at Apollo's rather spot-on impression of Simon when he had told them of Taka's newfound love for Payne's wig, and could not help grinning.

_You're all weird…and so am I. And it's all good. I wish Mom could've met you… I think she would've liked you all as much as I do._

"Well," her boss spoke up again, "is anyone hungry? I think I hear Mr. Eldoon's harmonica in the distance…"

* * *

When Simon greeted her at his door Monday evening, the first thing Athena noticed was that the _saya _of his blade was not belted to his waist. Instead, he held a _bokutō _of his own loosely in his right hand.

"Good evening."

Noticing her eyes lingering on the wooden sword he was holding, he explained even as he stepped aside to let her in, "After you show me the patterns from Friday, we are going to start on the basics of sparring."

_Here it comes, the whupping…_Not that the thought worried her overly much – Simon would hardly beat her into a pulp, and she could take a few bruises here and there.

"Okay, I've been practicing for a while yesterday, and I think I got this down…"

Walking into the middle of the open space they regularly used for practice, she suddenly felt slightly nervous. _I've added the sword movements in largely by myself, I hope I did this right…_

Taking the beginning position, she closed her eyes, breathing slowly and steadily, and stilled. _Quickly right from the start, Athena. Let's see what he thinks._

From one moment to the next, she flew into motion and felt a small thrill at the fact that her execution was just as smooth as it had been at the end of her repetitions in the park yesterday. Deciding to keep her finishing flourish, she dropped her center and thrust forward with the _kiai _she had used.

Silence. Complete, utter, absolute silence.

_…I didn't do it right, did I…?_

Slowly, she stood and turned, and there Simon was, staring at her. Athena had never seen him so dumbstruck.

"I… uh… was that okay…?"

Her hesitant question startled a short laugh out of him. "'Okay?' Your practice over the weekend led to _this_?"

She was not entirely sure what to make of this question, because his heart still radiated so much surprise that everything else was drowned out. After a short pause, she just nodded.

He shook his head slightly. "On Friday, you were still finding your footing, and here you are with a complete pattern. I did not see a single flaw, you intuited the sword movements correctly, and you incorporated an element of your own."

Simon's heart now shed its layer of surprise, presenting her with a deep sense of satisfaction.

"Your mother would be immeasurably proud."

Now her mouth hung open. "You aren't serious." _But his heart says he is. _"You mean this isn't just what happens regularly…?"

He smiled slightly. "Would that it did. You possess the same gift for these arts that your mother did. An instinct, if you will. No beginner usually synthesizes like you did in this pattern within four weeks. I have never trained anyone before, and as we are obviously not on a standard curriculum, gauging your progress is somewhat complicated, but I would place it at about the three to four month mark, if I didn't know any better."

_Oh…oh Mom…we have something in common…? _It stood to reason that they _did_, considering that they were related, but Athena had always assumed that she was taking more after the father she had never known – Red hair instead of her mother's brunette, blue eyes instead of brown shot with gray, and sensitive ears her mother had not shared nor fully understood. She had studied analytical psychology as a means to an end, rather than out of love for the field, and it had made sense considering that Widget and her ability facilitated this line of study immensely. But to be innately good at, and rapidly come to enjoy, something her mother had also pursued with both aptitude and fervor…?

_I could've never found out without you teaching me, Simon. Thank you – again._

"I have to admit that your progress makes the following steps somewhat easier." Simon seemed wary as he continued. "Sparring inherently carries the risk of injury, but your control indicates that you should be capable of making appropriate judgments to minimize said risk. In _kenjutsu_, paired combat is either practiced without armor, using wooden swords, _or _with sharp steel and traditional armor. Your mother and I did, on occasion, indulge in… recklessness and used real blades without protective gear, but this is not something I am willing to risk."

He paused, and she saw an expression of _something _on his features, but it was gone in an instant.

"…Even with the _bokutō_, the slightest mistiming or misapplication of force could be the cause of bruises or broken bones. I hear that most organizations use some padding on their weapons. This is not how Dr. Cykes practiced… however, if you would prefer to add safety measures before we continue, tell me."

Athena shook her head firmly. "Let's do this how you're used to. I won't drop dead because of a little bruising here and there."

Simon nodded his understanding. "In that case, let's begin. We will work on your defense first. The solo forms you have been practicing can be employed for that purpose; the difficult part for you now will be to make split-second decisions as to which one will serve best to evade or block an attack. Always look into your opponent's eyes – the intent to strike will show, giving you more time to react. Observe their arms and shoulders next, as they guide the path of the blade. Do _not _attempt to concentrate on the sword itself, as you will always see it too late. Understood?"

She nodded. "Got it."

"Eyes up."

Athena looked up at him as she lifted her wooden blade and planted her feet for a secure stance. He had assumed a striking position, his side turned toward her, both hands on his own _bokutō_'s _tsuka_. He held the weapon near his far shoulder, with its slight curvature placing the blunt tip exactly at her eye level.

_Don't look at the sword, look at his eyes._

In spite of the fact that their eyes met on a regular basis, consciously making and holding eye contact was unexpectedly difficult. When she finally managed to connect with his gaze without her own embarrassedly straying, time seemed to still as she waited to see an indication that he was going to attack.

His usually sharp eyes were almost tranquil in their lack of expression. Irises the color of flint, unadulterated by any hint of green, brown, or blue, ringed by a band of black. Minuscule eye movements as he scrutinized her, as well, his undivided focus making her feel strangely defenseless.

Athena was so caught up in the odd intimacy of the moment that she missed her cue: Sudden intent flared up in his eyes an instant before he moved, and she had no time to raise her sword. A split second later, the blunt edge of his _bokutō_ hovered close enough to the side of her neck that she could almost feel its touch.

"You are supposed to defend yourself."

She let out a sigh. "I saw you coming, but… I guess my reaction time sucks."

Simon straightened, moving his weapon away from her until its tip pointed towards the floor once more. "The fact that you were able to see the intent in my eyes is a good start. I will slow down for the next few attempts, and we will work our way up."

By the end of the night, she managed to deflect his attacks at full speed about a third of the time.


	12. Chapter 12

Another two weeks passed. Athena continued to improve rapidly, and Simon was glad that, after the first night, she had quickly learned to evade his swings and stabs at her. He had dealt a few bruises to her in the course of practice at first, even though he had checked the speed of his advances the moment he had seen that he was going to connect.

_We both agreed to this. No martial arts practice ends without a slight injury or two, even if I'd rather not be the one dealing them to her._

She had taken every hit in stride, grinning at him through her wince.

At first, she had had problems holding his gaze – Simon had seen the unsteady flickering of waning concentration in her own more than once. However, as she unlearned to flinch away, scrutinizing him calmly for the first hint of a coming attack, he was in turn beginning to experience difficulties in not succumbing to the awakening purpose in her large blue eyes.

Additionally, the thought of him leaving marks on her fair skin, even if they were injuries sustained in mock combat rather than… _something else_, unreasonably quickened his heart rate with an uncomfortable mixture of guilt and arousal. A slash of blue and purple on a slim thigh… a fading red mark on a trim waist…

_This is positively sick, Blackquill. Now _bruises _are starting to excite you…?_

He was thinking about the clink rather a lot recently, although at least no situation acute enough to conjure up _that _memory had presented itself again.

Fortunately, a more joyous way of distracting himself presented itself as the days progressed: Athena's nineteenth birthday was coming up on Friday, and he had busied himself ordering a personalized gift for her. When it arrived, he nodded in satisfaction as he inspected the object before returning it to the black velvet bag in which it had been sent.

In addition, he was planning a slight change from their current sparring routine for that day, one which he hoped would meet with her approval.

* * *

When Athena climbed the stairs to Simon's place Friday evening, she was in an excellent mood. Mr. Wright and Apollo had presented her with a cake and small gifts this morning, holding an impromptu little celebration for her, and her associate had said with a smile, "We'd have organized a surprise party for you tonight, but we were pretty sure that you didn't wanna miss out on training…"

She had guessed at what else had almost uttered when he had trailed off: _…since we'd have kept you from meeting your friend._

Athena had laughed. "Right in one, particularly since I'm starting to get away from the whupping a bit more easily these days…"

Not feeling the stinging sensation of the _bokutō _all that often anymore as it connected with her body was a relief; even though she could tell that Simon was already doing everything in his power to halt his attacks whenever he got too close, if she accidentally turned into the path of his blade instead of away from it, a hit was still inevitable despite his skill. Now that she was starting to consistently read from which angle his sword approached, though, they managed to mostly avoid such mishaps, even if he ultimately bested her in the majority of their bouts.

She had been buzzed into the apartment building without any comment from the intercom tonight – likely once again by Taka, which meant that he was in the middle of something. Therefore, she was unsurprised when the door was closed by the time she arrived on the fourth floor. She knocked to announce her presence before turning the doorknob and letting herself in.

Simon was on the floor in a half-kneeling position. About eight feet in front of him, he had arranged five candles, three of which were lit. Suddenly, his right arm blurred into motion, and the flame of the middle candle was snuffed out a split second later. Only when he resheathed his blade did Athena even realize that he had drawn.

_Damn, you're fast._

He looked up at her as he rose to his feet. "Welcome."

She only noticed that a slim, velvety-black object had been sitting next to him on the ground when his fingers closed around it while getting up. He held it out to her with both hands, clearly expecting her to reach for it.

"Happy birthday, Athena." A self-conscious grin. "Like you, I am not particularly inclined towards _singing_."

Athena snorted. "I might've died from shock if you had." Then, she smiled up at him. "Thank you very much."

Now, she took the black velvet object from him, feeling something solid inside the long, slim bag. _He didn't…!_

Fiddling with the cords she spied on one end, her mouth opened slightly in surprise when she drew out a sword, sheathed in a _saya _lacquered in dark red, the color of her mother's training _gi_. The grip and fastening cords were yellowish gold, and the _tsuba _featured a filigree design of interlocking half-moons. Reverently, she un-notched the _habaki_, her eyes falling on steel, honed to razor-like sharpness on one side in the wavy pattern typical of a _katana _blade, reflecting the remaining candle light.

"Simon…! How much did you _spend _on this…?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Exactly as much as it cost."

She could not help shaking her head incredulously, even as a small laugh of joy escaped her mouth. "This is _crazy_. _You're _crazy."

A broad smile was on her features when she looked up from the _katana _reverently held in her hands once more. "It's beautiful, I love it, and I have no idea how to say 'thank you' enough."

His hand moved to rest on her shoulder as he quietly responded. "As I keep telling you, no thanks are necessary. You are developing into an excellent sword practitioner – it was high time that you owned a genuine blade."

The urge to hug him was almost overwhelming, but Athena refrained, remembering her decision a few weeks ago. _That way lie complications. _Instead, she reached up to put her hand on his. "I wouldn't without you – and I'm never gonna stop saying _thank you_, so you better learn to deal with it."

His lips twitched into a smile. "Hn. I will somehow find a way to live with it, I'm sure, although I shall keep denying that any such thing is required."

Feeling his hand pulling back slightly underneath hers, she lowered her own.

"Now that we've established that we're at an impasse when it comes to that… what's on the program tonight?"

Simon glanced over at Taka on his stand, who had begun flapping his wings somewhat restlessly. "I will explain once I let him out for his evening hunt. One moment."

The hawk settled on his shoulder as he was walking towards the window; as soon as he opened it, the bird of prey vanished into the night air.

When Simon returned, he glanced down at the sheathed _katana _resting in Athena's hands with a grin before he explained, "As I would not deprive you of trying out your new blade, I figured we would take a first stab at an _iaidō kata_."

Athena's eyes widened. "Wow, you think I can do that at this point…?"

The pride in his eyes answered her question before he spoke up again. "I don't see why not, considering how rapidly you take to everything I throw at you."

Taking a few steps away, left hand on his _saya_, he then stated, "I will go through the four steps of the most basic _kata _once slowly and explain. Watch and listen carefully – these four steps constitute the basis of all _iaidō _forms, although their execution changes slightly with each _kata_. After that, I will demonstrate the form at regular speed."

Athena sat on the floor in _seiza_, holding her own blade on her knees as she watched intently.

Simon assumed the same position, slightly adjusting his sword at his hip. "This _kata _is called _ippon me mae_. It assumes you are sitting opposite your attacker."

He drew the _katana _in a fluid motion, cutting sideways in front of him, his left hand remaining at the _saya_ as he angled back his hip, his right foot moving forward.

"First step: The _nukitsuke_, or 'draw and cut.' As soon as you sense an attack coming, you preempt it by quickly readying your sword and deflecting your opponent's."

His left now abandoned the scabbard of his weapon, joining his other hand at the _tsuka_ while he lifted the _katana _over his head. A moment later, he sliced down in front of himself, the blade parting the air with its familiar whistle.

"Second step: The _kirioroshi_, or 'downward cut.' After you deflect the attack, you strike down your opponent."

He hesitated and drew in a deep breath, as if to steady himself.

The blade turned sideways as he rose to a slightly crouched standing position, simultaneously moving it towards his left shoulder before quickly bringing it down diagonally.

His voice was quiet when he spoke again. "Third step: The _chiburi_… 'shaking-off of blood.'"

Athena blanched at the sudden sadness in his heart.

Simon took another deep breath.

Aligning his feet by drawing his left foot forward, his right then moved back as he grabbed the _saya _at his side once more, pulling the back of the _katana _along its length by extending his right elbow before smoothly returning the weapon to its scabbard.

"Final step: The _noto_, 'resheathing.'"

He returned to his original position and went through the motions again in a blur of speed, although for a jarring fraction of a second, Athena saw him hesitating yet again at the _chiburi_ before his jaw clenched and he finished the _kata._

_Simon…did you do this with Mom's sword before you cut up Ponco…? _Her memory was still somewhat clouded as to the facts of that horrible afternoon, even though she now remembered the gist of what had happened, but she did vaguely recall the whistle of a blade in the air, his hand on the handle, his face a mask of barely-hidden pain and purpose as he turned toward the robot on the charging station…

"Your turn."

Half-distracted by her sympathy for the pain performing the _kata _for her had caused him, Athena nodded. Tying the cords of her _katana_'s _saya_ to the ones holding her _hakama _in place, she held on to the scabbard as she attempted to quickly draw out the weapon and make the deflecting cut –

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Athena, used to the tractability of wood in her hands, miscalculated how tightly she needed to hold on to the grip of her new weapon, the cords tied around the handle still silky and almost slick. The weapon flew out of her hand, the pointed tip hitting Simon in the side.

"Ungh…"

He dropped to one knee, his hand clutching at his side as the _katana _fell to the ground with a clatter. Blood began to well up between his fingers.

Athena's hands flew to her mouth in horror. _No no no no no oh _god _no…!_

The next moment, she was by his side with her bag in her hands, frantically fishing for her phone.

"Oh god I'm sorry I'm so sorry I'm calling an ambulance…!"

Simon's eyes were clenched shut as he ground out through gritted teeth, "That won't… be necessary…"

"What do you _mean_, 'not necessary'…?" Her voice was high-pitched with terror even as the static of _oh god I hurt him I hurt him badly _kept running through her head.

"… It's not as deep… as it might appear. What I need right now… is for you to calm down and get… the first aid kit from the bathroom." Simon's breathing harshly interpunctuated his words.

_First aid kit? Is he _nuts?!

When Athena did not move for a moment in her astonishment and panic, his eyes flashed open and he growled, _"Do it!"_

She ran.


	13. Chapter 13

Athena was back with the small box within seconds. "Here, I got it… what do you need me to do?"

She wanted to cry, but right now, she knew that she needed to control herself if she was to help her friend, whom _she_ had just injured.

Simon had remained in his pose on the ground, his hand still on the wound.

"Help me… take off the _gi_…"

Unthinking, she crouched in front of him right away, opening the ties which held the top closed and pushing it off his right shoulder, then stepping around and pulling it down on his left, until the sleeve was bunched around his hand pressing at his side.

"Thank you…"

His fingers slowly lifted, letting the fabric slide to the ground, and Athena's eyes immediately focused on the gash in his side. She felt sickened when she saw how it gaped open, revealing flesh which oozed blood, the red liquid running down toward his hip in rivulets and staining his _hakama _waistband.

_What are you _thanking _me for, you _idiot?! _I _hurt _you!_

She forced down the hysteria threatening to overwhelm her and asked quickly, "What now?"

"From the medicine kit… hand me the wound clipper… iodine… and one of the tongue depressors…"

…_tongue depressor?_

Athena complied and watched in disbelief as he shoved the thin wooden implement between his teeth before pouring the disinfecting liquid over his injury. Understanding as to why he had needed the incongruous item dawned when he bit down on the wood in a spasm of agony, his short, sharp outcry of pain stabbing into her heart.

Next, Simon reached down for the odd little implement he had told her he needed – if it had not proclaimed its nature in yellow letters on its handle, Athena would not have recognized it for what it was.

With a ragged exhale, he squeezed the gaping sides of the wound together with his left hand while positioning the clipper against the cut with his right, pressing down on what looked like a trigger with his index finger. A noise that sounded curiously like a stapler sounded, immediately followed by a hollow groan rumbling in his throat. He repeated the process six more times, and when he was done, he slushed another measure of iodine over everything. By that point, he was either numb to the pain or too exhausted to give voice anymore, as the stinging sensation of the liquid only caused him to grunt. Then, he spat the tongue depressor on the floor.

"Compress dressing."

Athena handed him the absorbent gauze pad with the adhesive sides, and Simon applied it over the wound.

For a moment, silence fell. Then, he listed to the right until he came to a rest on his uninjured side, his eyes closed, his breathing evening.

Athena felt fresh panic rising up inside her and scooted up until she was kneeling next to his head. "Simon…? Simon!"

Inexplicably, a smirk appeared on his features, even though his eyes remained shut. "I believe I asked you to calm down. I am merely trying to relax for a moment in order to slow the bleeding."

Now, the tears finally came.

"I thought I just… I just…"

Athena grasped at his hand as she sobbed, not even realizing that it was his left, which was still soiled with blood.

"It was an accident, Athena."

Simon's soothing tone caused her to break down. Between heaving breaths, she stammered, "I… I didn't mean… didn't mean to hurt you… oh god… I'll… I'll never touch a sword again…"

"Athena."

The flatness of his voice startled her out of her misery.

"Listen to yourself."

She drew in air with a gulp. _He swore off swords because he used the weapon that killed my mother to protect me, because everyone thought _he _murdered her with it…and he picked up a blade again for _my_ sake…I can't stick my head in the sand._

"I'm sorry… what I just said… that was stupid, wasn't it…?"

"No, not stupid," he corrected quietly. "Merely overly rash. If you truly develop an aversion to blades over this, I won't try to persuade you to continue. However, give yourself some time to think before you make your decision, and remember this: I neither blame you for what happened tonight, nor will I bear you any ill will if you prefer to end your training."

"You don't blame me…? But…"

"I should have been out of the blade trajectory, even if I was sufficiently far away. This was my mistake, as well. These things happen."

Simon slowly pushed himself back up to a sitting position. "Would you mind helping me stand? I don't want to put any undue strain on the cut."

"S-sure!"

Athena let him put his right arm across her shoulders, holding on to his hand as she rose to her feet with him.

"Thank you." His gaze wandered to the first aid kit on the floor. "If you could collect everything and pack it back up… I will be in the bathroom."

His arm dropped off her shoulder as he walked away from her. Holding himself gingerly, he grabbed a pair of track pants hanging off the side of his couch before the door closed behind him.

Subdued and numb in the ebb of her terror, Athena collected the contents of the kit and placed it on the kitchen counter, ripping a few paper towels off the roll sitting nearby to clean up the mess. She was mildly surprised when she only found a few spots of blood on the floor – it had appeared like a lot more just a moment ago.

As she wiped at the stains, her gaze fell on her _katana _lying nearby on the floor, her beautiful birthday present, which had drawn blood the moment she had attempted to use it. Its tip was soiled with red.

Athena reached for the weapon and slowly cleaned it off, eyeing the savagely glinting steel, dangerous and yet so very enticing. _Can I hate this, even after what's happened?_

After disposing of the paper towels, the tongue depressor and the bandage wrapper, and taking care of the still-burning candles before they managed to start a house fire on top of everything, she washed her hands in the kitchen sink. Then, she deposited the now resheathed weapon and her bag on the couch before sitting down to wait for Simon to return.

* * *

Simon exited the bathroom a few minutes later, his hands and the area around the wound now free of blood. Instead of the stained _hakama_, he was now wearing the track pants he had taken inside with him.

For once, Aura's long-practiced overpreparedness when it came to first aid kits had turned out to be useful – only _she _would invest in a wound suturing device _just in case_. Then again, he supposed it made a certain amount of sense, as his sister frequently handled sharp-edged pieces of metal in her line of work, and was too driven to leave her work for medical attention whenever an injury occurred. As she always had a spare on hand, he had taken the kit from her apartment alongside the things she had kept for him, and was now glad that he had thought to do so. _Not that I will let _her _know about this, she would never let me hear the end of it._

He had taken a few painkillers after washing off the stains and changing, as the cut in his side stung rather viciously, but now that this particular business had been sufficiently addressed, he was more concerned about Athena.

_I won't have her go home in shock over what amounts to nothing more than a triviality._

That was all it was – a triviality. Her blade would have had to strike him with considerably stronger force to do significant damage, even though its sharpness had managed to cause a fairly wide, if shallow, cut before it fell away. He had seen – and sustained - far more grievous injuries than this one, even though it had been a while.

She looked forlorn sitting on his couch, staring at her hands and only glancing up when he addressed her. "I appreciate your cleaning up."

Athena's small smile was shaky. "No problem…"

Simon did not need her ability to know that, in fact, there _was _a problem hanging in the air between them right now. He sighed.

"I should lie down, or I might reopen the wound."

"Uh… okay, I'll go then…"

"Stay."

Her head shot up as she stared at him. "…what?"

_How to phrase this…?_

"It's early yet, and you are still upset over what happened. I can tell. Stay for a while."

He smirked. "Have a drink, if you so desire. I hear small measures of alcohol make for an excellent nerve restorative."

That got her to laugh, if hesitantly. "Is a _prosecutor _proposing to someone not legal to drink yet that she break the law…?"

"Hn. I _proposed_ no such thing. I _suggested_."

Her smile was significantly steadier this time as she rose to walk into the kitchen area.

Simon made his way to his bed, carefully arranging himself on his right side without putting strain on the affected area above his left hip.

Athena joined him after a moment, a glass of _umeshu _in her hand. She sat on the lidded wicker basket he used to collect his laundry, looking him over.

"You're gonna be okay, right?"

She seemed startled when he laughed slightly at her inquiry. "I was sure that I had already established the answer to that question. I've had worse injuries, Athena."

He pointed to a sharp dip on the right side of his abdomen. "This is but one example."

She eyed the old injury. "What's that from?"

_Perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut._

"That isn't important. Just know that this one _did _put me out of commission for the better part of a month."

"Fencing injury?"

_Of course she wouldn't let it go, Blackquill, you _fool.

He had the choice of providing an honest answer and risking upsetting her yet again, or of lying and upsetting her with the resulting discord.

Simon made a decision.

"Shiv."

She recoiled. "You mean that happened in…?"

"Prison, yes." He nodded. "Prosecutors aren't exceedingly popular in there, even if they arrive with a murder rep. And let me preempt you: This is _not _your fault, and if _any _further apology on _any _subject crosses your lips tonight, I _will _get cross with you."

Athena had already opened her mouth to say something and now closed it again, her teeth meeting with an audible _click_. After a long moment, she giggled slightly.

"_Cross? _I swear, sometimes you sound like an English governess."

"Yes well, I didn't have much choice in _that _matter. I spent four years in the UK while growing up, after Aura had already struck out on her own. Our parents were there on assignment, and they figured I might as well get a 'proper education,' so boarding school it was. It may have somewhat corrupted my _American drawl_."

He drawled out the final words, making sure to chew his r's to within an inch of their lives.

Athena laughed, the sound music to his ears. _There you go, just forget about what happened tonight._

"You should do that in front of Apollo sometime – he might faint."

"Don't tempt me."

After a moment, Athena's laughter died down, and she remained quiet for a moment while taking a drag from her glass.

"Y'know… I think I've made my decision. I wanna continue with our lessons. I've learned so much from you in such a short time – did I tell you that the others at the agency have been going on about how great a teacher you must be?"

Simon raised an eyebrow. "How did _they _arrive at that notion?"

"Um, they saw me practicing in the park when I was working on that one pattern…" Suddenly, she grinned. "Also, after you gave me that hint about von Karma at court, Apollo said you pulled a Yoda."

The reference was not lost on him. "Hmph. I am not sure that I feel flattered about being likened to a wrinkled green muppet with humongous ears. Didn't I at least warrant a comparison to Mr. Miyagi?"

That netted him a positively delighted snicker. "Simon Blackquill, I had no idea you were such a movie buff!"

"I see my one-liners in court were lost on you. What a shame."

After draining her glass, she stuck her tongue out at him. "We can't all be closet nerds."

Then, her face once more became serious. "Anyway, _before _you were trying to distract me – good job, by the way…"

_Of course she would catch me._

"… I meant to say that I really like training with you, and I'm feeling like I understand Mom a little better with each lesson. I don't wanna throw that all away. But I've learned a lesson tonight that I wish would've remained pure theory, namely to always pay 100% attention to what I'm doing when handling a real blade. I never wanna hurt you – or anyone else – like this again, even if it's just by accident."

Simon nodded. "Without meaning to needlessly pontificate, that _is _an important lesson. Respect the blade – for all the enjoyment it can bring, it cuts indiscriminately."

She grinned at him. "Verstanden. Yoda."

He snorted. "If you ever call me that in public, expect swift and merciless retribution."

Athena mock-saluted. "Got it! Well… I think I should let you get some rest now. I'll see you on Monday."

Suddenly, she was leaning over him, and her lips connected with his face for a quick peck on the cheek.

"I know you don't wanna hear this from me anymore, either, but… thanks, Simon. I don't know how you put up with me sometimes. Good night."

And before he could come up with a response, she was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

Athena stuck to the _bokutō _for her practice during the weekend, even though her new blade beckoned enticingly.

_In the end, I'll cut off my own leg or something, and then _he's _gonna feel bad about ever giving it to me… I'll learn how to use it properly first._

Her hands twitched towards her cell phone more than once, wanting to at least text Simon to see how he was doing, whether the cut was healing well, but since he had made it abundantly clear that he considered this matter to be trivial, she did not want to annoy him by fretting over him.

Still, she felt the urge to talk this matter through with _someone_, and on Sunday, she finally sent a message to Apollo, asking whether he would be willing to meet in a café for a chat.

Half an hour later, she sat in the cozy little place they had agreed on, nursing a cappuccino while waiting for her associate.

Apollo arrived shortly thereafter. "Hey, what's going on? You said you wanted to talk about something…?"

She nodded. "Something happened on Friday, and I kinda need to get it off my chest. I hope that's okay…"

He sat opposite her and, after ordering something for himself, leaned forward.

"Whatever it is, lay it on me."

Athena thought for a moment about how to breach the subject, and settled for putting it bluntly.

"I hurt Simon." Recalling the moment the blade had struck him made her shudder slightly.

Apollo smiled uncomprehendingly. "What, you gave him a smack with your practice sword and bruised him up a bit? I'm sure he can take a bit of his own medicine…"

Athena interrupted him by emphatically shaking her head. "No… we had an accident with a sharp blade. The handle slipped out of my grip, and then the sword hit him in the side."

"Oh god…" Her associate blanched. "How bad was it? He isn't in the hospital, is he?"

"He wouldn't even let me call an ambulance. He stitched himself up."

Apollo gulped. "He _what?_"

"He just put something between his teeth to bite down on and started stapling himself back together with some sort of medical thingy."

"_Damn_… he just doesn't do things by halves, does he? Is he okay, then?" The other lawyer's jaw had dropped as she had described Simon taking care of his own injury, and he looked more than a little sickened.

Athena let out an involuntary snort of exasperated laughter. "He said he was gonna be… and then, _he _insisted on cheering _me _up before I went home…"

"No _way_."

"I know, right? He's completely and utterly loco!" She could not help but smile a little at remembering their conversation that night. "He requested that I stay for a while longer because he could tell I was upset, and he was really…"

She stopped herself just short of finishing the sentence the way it had formed in her head. _…sweet._

"… Athena, you're blushing." Apollo raised an eyebrow at her.

Her fingers began to furiously card through her ponytail. "No, I'm not!"

Now that she was reminiscing about Friday evening, she also remembered details she had not even noticed during the scare – for example his bare chest and back, all pale skin and lean, defined muscle…

Feeling her face heating up even more, Athena quickly took a large gulp of her coffee to distract herself, noticing Apollo rubbing his wrist around his bracelet. _Oh great, here it comes-_

"… If you say so."

She could hear in his heart that he bought no part of her deflection, which made perfect sense, considering that he had commented on something easily visible. However, she also knew what he was implying with his words: He would not pry if she did not want him to.

"You didn't tell me that you were sparring with real blades these days, by the way," Apollo continued, changing the topic. "Isn't that kinda dangerous without some sort of armor?"

"Actually, we didn't," she hastened to assure him, grateful that he had veered away from more dangerous territories. "I was practicing _iai_ for the first time."

Her conversation partner threw her a rueful grin. "Try not to throw technical terms at me. I don't know any of this stuff."

"Oh, sorry… _iai _is… well, in a nutshell, it's an assortment of quick drawing techniques. You know that thing Simon does in court when he slashes at you? That's a shortened form without the blade."

"Oh _god_, soon you'll be trading blows across the courtroom for _fun_, I can see it now…"

She snickered at Apollo's gloomy prediction a bit, although she quickly sobered up in light of remembering what had happened. "I doubt that, considering that on my first try, I sent my sword flying..."

"You aren't gonna stop training with him, are you?"

"No!" Athena replied immediately.

Apollo smiled. "See? You're gonna get the hang of this insanely fast, like you did with everything else. He's obviously not mad at you for nicking him, either. I can understand that you feel bad about what happened, but… don't let it get you down, okay?"

At this point, her phone buzzed with a new text message. Curious, she took it out of her bag and checked the display. It was from Simon, and it had an attachment.

**_Since I had an inkling that you might still be concerned, perhaps this will alleviate your worries._**

It was a close-up of the wound, now cleaned and still surrounded by the clips, but closed on its own. It did not look nearly as dramatic as it had two days ago.

She shook her head in disbelief. "How does he _do _that…?"

**_how did u know?_**

"From Blackquill?" Apollo asked as she texted back.

"Yeah… I'm starting to wonder if he has some kind of sixth sense that lets him know when I'm talking about him… here."

After sending off her response, she showed him the phone, and he grimaced slightly. "That's a pretty good gash… looks like it's healing well though…"

Another buzzing sound. A moment later, Apollo yelped, "Athena, you did _not _tell him about _that!_"

She looked at the screen.

**_The Force is with me._**

Athena started laughing.

* * *

The following evening, Athena brought both her _bokutō _and the _katana _along with her to their practice session, the latter concealed in its velvet bag so she would not get in trouble on the bus.

This time, Simon was waiting in the door when she climbed the stairs to his place, for once not dressed in his own training attire, but in the track pants and sweater he had worn on the evening of his birthday.

_He might have to replace the _hakama _and _gi_, as stained as they got on Friday…_

She could not entirely suppress another twinge of guilt at the thought, even though she knew perfectly well that he did not hold her responsible for what had happened.

"Good evening."

Athena nodded with a smile. "Hi. How's…?"

He noticed her eyes wandering to his left side, and replied before she could finish her question. "It's healing, although I am afraid I won't be able to participate in any rigorous activities just yet. I am planning on removing the clips on Thursday; by Friday, I should be fully restored."

"So… can we even practice anything until then…?" For a moment, she was worried that he would answer in the negative and send her home for the remainder of the week.

Simon let out a small huff of amusement. "Hn. Don't underestimate yourself – you aren't as dependent on my physical guidance as you think. Furthermore, I was planning for you to familiarize yourself with your new blade tonight."

_And once again, he knows exactly what's been bugging me over the weekend…Mom, did he learn _that _from you, as well?_

While Simon primarily had a reputation for psychological manipulation, this skill _was _by nature based on the analysis of emotions and decision making processes, the very areas on which her mother's research had focused. Additionally, he had known her for a long time, and they had been in close contact for six weeks at this point.

Her next thought logically followed. _…what if he can read me whenever _those _thoughts pop into my head…?_

Athena shook herself internally to calm the hint of panic rising within her. _I'll just have to hope that that's a blind spot. As long as he doesn't see _me _in that way, he probably won't recognize it for what it is._

"Athena?"

_Dammit, spaced out again._

"Yeah, sorry, present!"

Simon raised an eyebrow as he closed the door behind her. "I shall take your word for it. Do remember your lesson from Friday – your concentration is vital when you handle sharp steel. Now tie on your _saya_ so we can begin."

His reminder felt like a physical jolt. _Time to be a pro about this. You're working with an actual weapon._

Athena nodded and did as she was told, fastening the sheath securely to her left side.

When she was done, Simon instructed, "First of all, I want to see you move through your solo pattern with the blade. Don't be surprised if the _saya _may seem as though it might interfere with your movements at first – it will turn out to be less of a distraction than you might think after you are used to feeling it at your side."

She slowly drew the blade out of its scabbard, ensuring that her grip was firm. Casting a glance back at Simon, who seemed to be standing at a safe distance and angle from her, Athena began.

Now that she was using the _katana _for its purpose for the first time, she appreciated the weapon's perfect balance in her hands, slowly began to relish the sharp sound of it parting the air, so different from the dull whistle of the _bokutō_. It felt different to move through the by now familiar forms with this exquisite sword in her hand, as though she were undergoing a rite of passage.

_If I'd shied away after Friday, I would've never experienced this. Now I know why Simon prefers the real thing for practice, just like you did, Mom. Still, I won't ever forget the mistake I made. That, I promise._

She finished her pattern with the forward thrust and _kiai _she had added, remained still for the length of a breath, and stood.

Simon nodded his approval. "Well done. Now, we are going to return to the _ippon me mae kata _from Friday, but we are going to tackle it step by step, and somewhat out of order. Initially, we will focus on the very first and very last part, namely, the removal of the blade from the _saya_ and the _noto _step."

A rueful grin. "It seems your acquaintances' praise of my abilities as a teacher was premature – I should have focused on this before asking you to try and emulate the full _kata _last week. This is _my _lesson from our mishap."

Athena had no idea how to respond to that, so she just quirked her lips into a sympathetic smile. For a moment, it seemed to her as though they shared an understanding that was entirely beyond words.

Then, his expression once more segued into neutrality. "Pay careful attention, as I would rather not have to address any injuries tonight. For now, return your sword to its sheath"

He had fastened the cords of his own _saya _to a narrow _obi_ strung around his body in lieu of the _hakama _waistband. After Athena had done as he had requested, he demonstrated how to hold on to the scabbard as he continued to explain.

"Grasp the _saya_ firmly directly behind the guard. If you leave too much space, the blade's edge will scrape along the inside of the scabbard, slowing your draw and diminishing your control. Thumb and forefinger form a circle; do not, and I can't stress this enough, do _not _lift your thumb while withdrawing or sheathing the sword, or you _will _cut yourself. You will only do so to initially unwedge the _habaki _in the _koiguchi o kiru _move, or the preparation to draw, and once the _tsuba _is about to reconnect with the _saya _at the end."

Athena reached for her own _saya_, attempting to arrange her fingers in the same manner.

"How's this?"

Simon scrutinized her hand placement. "Good. Now…"

His left wrist slowly turned the _saya _sideways and pulled it back slightly, while his right firmly held the hilt of his sword in its original position. After a nudge with his thumb, the scabbard had come free from the _habaki _with the slightest scraping noise, and the backward motion of the _saya _revealed the first inch of sharpened steel.

"The first movement of unsheathing after the _habaki _is loosened is called _sayabiki_, or 'withdrawing the _saya_.' The reasoning behind this term should be self-evident. You never pull the blade out by the _tsuka _alone; once again, this negatively affects both speed and control."

Carefully, Athena repeated his movements, and was surprised how smoothly the weapon slid out of its casing.

A nod. "Now draw, holding on to the _saya_."

Both of them fluidly withdrew their _katana _from their scabbards.

"Excellent; this concludes the initial phase. Next, we will perform _noto_."

Simon positioned the blunt back edge of the blade, _tsuba _just above the spot where it usually rested against the _saya_, on top of his left hand. His fingers had remained closed around the opening of the scabbard; the sword made contact with the spot where the bones of thumb and forefinger connected underneath the skin.

"This step is slightly more difficult and might take a few attempts to perform cleanly. Don't be discouraged if you don't manage immediately; I admit to having had problems with it, myself. Let the bone structure of your hand guide the blade along the scabbard and pull the sword back straight. Bring the _saya _back forward at the end. The tip of the _katana_ will align with its opening. Watch your thumb."

Now that Simon performed this step slowly to make sure she did not miss anything, the slide of the blunt back edge of his sword against his skin parallel to the _saya _was an oddly sensual image, causing Athena to hold her breath as she looked on. The moment the tip of his _katana _slid off his left hand, he realigned his wrist and brought the scabbard forward slightly. The weapon slid home smoothly.

"Try it."

His voice shook her out of her trance. "Okay…"

When Athena attempted to emulate his movements for the first time, she did not turn her wrist far enough, leaving weapon and sheath misaligned. The second time, just when she thought she had it, she angled her right hand badly and caused the _katana _to momentarily get stuck on its way back into the scabbard. The third time saw her struggling not to accidentally poke her fingers when attempting to get both _saya _and sword angle correct.

Before she could try a fourth time, Simon was standing behind her, reaching down to place his hands over hers.

Feeling the warmth of his body against her back, his fingers gently but firmly closing around her own, Athena barely managed to suppress a shiver. He had not aided her in this way for numerous sessions now, and it seemed that she had not only become re-sensitized to his closeness, but that her physical reactions to him had only grown stronger.

She forced herself to continue breathing slowly and steadily, her improved body focus enabling her to project a calmness she did not really feel.

However, even that feigned composure threatened to come crashing down when he spoke up.

"Don't force it. The alignment will become more natural after the first few times."

An ever-so-slight strain in the voice uttered near her ear, and an odd pulse in that emitting from his heart. Neither was decipherable as a particular emotion, but to her, they almost sounded like…

Athena had to muster every bit of her rapidly faltering control to not press herself back against him, to leave her muscles loose and pliant as he guided her through the motions.


	15. Chapter 15

Watching her fumble with the blade and its scabbard, and seeing her expression reflect the beginnings of exasperation at not being able to smoothly perform the resheathing technique, Simon had unthinkingly stepped to her aid. Now that Athena was in his arms, however, his by now familiar, if unwelcome, reaction to her closeness was surprisingly strong. Invoking the memory he had resorted to before was not an option at this intimate distance, as she would immediately feel him recoil; likewise, moving away was impossible without a reason. Not that he wanted to.

In fact, becoming rapidly entranced by the scent of her hair, he almost gave in to the sudden urge to draw even closer, to run his thumbs caressingly up across her slender wrists, when he noticed that the steady rhythm of her breathing had not changed one iota.

Prior to this, Simon had always sensed a slight difference in the way she drew in air, a minute tensing of her muscles when they came into close contact unmitigated by emotional concerns, and had this sort of reaction to his presence occurred at this juncture, god help him, his composure would have been blown to the winds.

As it was, however, he realized that her earlier responses had likely been a mere reflection of her unfamiliarity with his closeness, her lack of reaction now signaling that she had since become accustomed to it. The sobering thought staid his irrational impulse.

_She is your friend. She wants to learn from you, not to be slavered over by you. She trusts you. Don't you _dare _betray her trust._

_Dr. Cykes would be disappointed in you._

He had only rarely seen his mentor's expression indicate that she had felt let down by anything; her calm and fundamentally optimistic nature had precluded such emotions more often than not. However, his mind's eye now conjured up her visage, gazing at him disapprovingly and a little saddened.

Her features representing his own misgivings fortunately had the effect he had sought: His untoward excitement gave way to steadying self-admonishment.

Dr. Cykes would already have more than enough reason to be dismayed with him: as he had refamiliarized himself with life outside of prison in the preceding weeks, his interactions with females of the species had naturally seen an increase. These interactions, in turn, seemed to indicate rather clearly that his inappropriate reactions to Athena were not merely rooted in her possessing curves and a pulse. Oh, he could appreciate gazing at other beautiful women, he was a straight male in his prime, after all, but his appreciation remained… detached, unthreatening, an inner predator without teeth. When it came to Athena, however, it turned into a prowling hunger, always on the verge of eviscerating his self-control.

_Merely because she is closest to you. No other woman interacts with you at close quarters for prolonged periods of time. That. Is. All._

Keeping the image of Metis Cykes' disapproving features firmly in front of his inner eye, he began his task of guiding Athena through _noto_.

* * *

A week passed, and Athena was starting to gain confidence in handling her _katana_, particularly since she had first managed to perform the _ippon me mae _in its entirety on Friday. After that, Simon had sparred with her using _bokutō _for a while, as his wound had sufficiently healed to once again let him use his full range of movement. He had told her with a grin that if she was ever to subdue him, she better keep in practice. The renewed competitive nature of their lesson, as well as the diminished physical contact, had made it significantly easier to concentrate, although it was difficult to shove aside a feeling of loss now that he once again had little reason to draw near her.

The following Monday, no case had presented itself by the time afternoon came around, and Athena, Apollo, and Mr. Wright sat around the office attempting to appear busy to each other. The boss was reading the newspaper, Apollo was attempting to look up some obscure law on the gelding of horses he had heard about in the news, and Athena was aimlessly scrolling through Widget's menus, itching to load a game but unwilling to admit her boredom in such an easily visible manner.

When they heard the door open, they all turned to greet Trucy upon her return from school, glad for the distraction, but were slightly surprised at Jinxie Tenma standing in the doorframe along Mr. Wright's daughter.

"Hey guys, slow day?" Trucy grinned easily and threw her bag in its regular corner. "I met Jinxie when I got off the bus, turns out she wanted to pay us a visit!"

The girl they had first met last year in Nine-Tails Vale still seemed shy and looked around constantly, likely to identify any potential yokai in her surroundings.

"Um, hello, Athena, Mr. Wright, Mr. Demon Lawyer…"

Apollo rolled his eyes slightly at the appellation, even though he smiled at their visitor.

"Jinxie, good to see you. Can we help you with something?"

The next moment, a charm was stuck to his forehead.

"Well… I came by to invite you to our village festival. It's on the first weekend of April this year."

"Oooh, can we go, daddy?" Trucy enthused. "I wanna see the Amazing Nine-Tails kick Tenma Taro's butt again!"

Jinxie smiled faintly. "My father is currently acting as interim alderman because the last election was contested, so he's organizing things… he also wanted me to ask if you'd like to perform, Trucy. Since he has been unmasked and Tenma Taro revealed, not so many people come to the village for the mystery anymore, even if his wrestling career is still going great… he's a bit worried about not providing enough of a draw for the visitors."

"Sure, leave it to a Gramarye extravaganza to spice things up!"

Trucy brought out Mr. Hat, who clacked out, _"We're gonna bring the house down!"_

Her father laughed. "I see the decision has been made for me. Okay, Nine-Tails Vale Village Festival it is in a month."

Suddenly, Trucy's gaze fell on Athena. "D'you need any more people to perform at the festival, Jinxie?"

"We _do_ still have some time slots open…"

With dawning comprehension, Athena raised her hands to fend off the suggestion. "No, Trucy. No way."

The girl grinned. "Aww, come on, Athena… considering what you did in the park a few weeks back had _everyone _stopping and clapping… oh, oh! And how about you ask Prosecutor Blackquill if he could spare some time, too? I still wanna see what _he _can do…"

Jinxie looked up. "The insomniac prosecutor from a year ago… perform?"

"He's been teaching Athena swordplay in the evenings since he got out of jail, and she's gotten really good in a really short time. None of us have seen him do his thing so far aside from her, but supposedly, he's amazing," Trucy explained.

Athena was pulling so hard at her ponytail by now that her ribbon threatened to come loose.

"He'd _never _agree to this," she muttered.

"He should probably consider it, though," Mr. Wright now pointed out from behind her.

Incredulously, she whirled around to face her boss and found him scratching his chin in thought. "We've all seen the press Blackquill has been getting even after being released, particularly since the UR-1 retrial was not official, strictly speaking. Also, the prosecutor's office is still sitting on the evidence because of the political implications of the Phantom's sabotage, as you probably remember. Maybe doing something like this might help restore his reputation…?"

Her expression darkened when she remembered some of the headlines.

_Space Center Butcher Spared Execution, Walks Free!_

_Undisclosed 'Evidence' Leads to Exoneration of Inmate Prosecutor!_

_Twisted Samurai Evades the Noose, Now on the Loose!_

_He Will Have You Found Guilty and Execute You Himself!_

She recalled being absolutely enraged when she had seen the first such article titles, and had already been halfway out of the office when Mr. Wright had called her back, telling her that rushing headlong into the publishing companies' offices would only cause the situation to worsen – and since they had no physical proof on hand, making a scene would not have amounted to much, anyway.

While the smearers of the more lurid yellow rags had recently tired of pursuing a man who was intensely private and rarely encountered outside of his office, court, or his home, Athena had to admit that just about any public display that did _not_ involve him drowning kittens in a stream or eating babies would probably help Simon's image at this point.

Also… the thought of attending a festival with her reclusive friend, and of him awing a crowd with his abilities, was more than a little exciting, if she was entirely honest with herself.

Still dubious, she said, "I'll ask. I sincerely doubt that he's gonna agree, but I'll ask."

Her eyes wandered to Trucy, who was delightedly bobbing on her toes. "I'll let you know after I talk to him tonight."

The young magician grinned at her. "I betyou can convince him. Come _on_, Athena, you know it'd be fun!"

Her friend's enthusiasm proved to be infectious, and she found her lips stretching into a wide grin of her own.

"… yeah, it would be. Okay, I'll give it my best shot!" Her fist smacked into her gloved hand.

* * *

"Absolutely not."

Simon was glaring down at her, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Why not?" she asked. "It's not like you have anything to be embarrassed about…"

He sighed. "The mudslingers have just stopped hounding me because I didn't provide them with a target. Participating in a public event would only invite renewed attention."

His heart emitted a hint of anger and apprehension with his words, and Athena wished for the hundredth time that it was in her power to do more than just set fire to her copies of the papers.

"But wouldn't it be _good _attention for a change? Right now, most people still connect you with everything that happened to us, and they don't really know about all the evidence proving that you didn't do it. Heck, the reporters haven't even bothered trying to talk to _me_ about all this, even though I was just as involved in the whole affair as you were, and Mom's name _was _in the coverage, if not much else. They could've easily sussed me out since I was an official witness back in the original trial, and I didn't receive a gag order from on high like the prosecutor's office did, so they could've gotten the truth from me, but nope..."

_Of course they didn't…it would've messed with their demonization of you. And if I'd contacted them first, who knows what they'd have come up with next – probably some sort of bogus about you manipulating me._

She looked up at him, ready to present her argument. "_But_… if both of us show up and perform together after being officially invited to do so by a town for their yearly festival, it'd have to count for _something_ in the eyes of the public. Provide something they can't ignore as easily as semi-official court proceedings and pieces of evidence they have no access to. N'est-ce pas?"

Simon remained silent for a while, contemplating her words, and she was sure that he realized the implications of such a public display just as she had.

"We could dedicate our sets to Mom, since it all started with her. Honor her by showcasing what she loved," she added quietly.

Another pause in their conversation, before he finally responded, "… I can't deny that you do make some valid points."

Athena's eyes widened. "Then you'll do it?"

A slightly crooked smile. "I was under the impression that we _both _would."

_That was way too easy. What's going on now? _The voice of his heart was free of outright discord, but something about it sounded forced.

"Y-yeah, of course!" she quickly replied. "It's gonna be fun, you'll see… and we're gonna wow their pants off!"

He lifted his _bokutō. _"That mental image was _not _necessary… not that anyone is in danger of being 'wowed' if we spend all of our time jabbering and none of it training. Come at me."

* * *

While he was holding off Athena's jabs at him, Simon wondered if he had given himself away by agreeing too readily to her idea, even if her arguments had been valid. His flair for the dramatic when it came to his prosecutorial duties did not usually extend to showing off outside the courtroom for the benefit of spectators, particularly not after having had to assume the role of a hardened criminal for so long, and he was not all that sure that he preferred even potentially positive press coverage over none at all.

However, truth be told, he had sought something to keep his mind occupied, lest it focused on the upcoming anniversary he neither wanted to reminisce about nor share with _anyone_, least of all her. Unfortunately, that day in the latter half of March proved to be impossible to banish from his thoughts ever since he had made the mistake of resorting to its memory in battling his growing physical attraction to her. He had fought fire with fire; now the blisters born from this misstep were slowly progressing into sepsis.

He had not been sleeping much during the last week; as the date was drawing nearer, the nightmares his regular interactions with Athena had somewhat diminished now returned with a vengeance, finding him waking in cold sweat multiple times a night.

_Stop dwelling in the past, Blackquill. It's over._ Not that telling himself that for the hundredth time would change the fact that he would once again sit upright in bed at three o'clock in the morning tonight. He might as well attempt to distract himself with preparations for an event Athena seemed to look forward to.

_I've allowed you to see so much of me already… But this is something else you mustn't know. Allow me to be selfish and take comfort in your anticipation._

After their session, he agreed to do some preliminary planning for their performance at the festival. They took a seat on the couch, both of them with a bottle of water in their hands.

He thought for a moment. "As we are both going to participate in this event, I suggest we each perform a solo pattern, and then conclude with a paired demonstration. Any objections so far?"

"No, sounds good to me," Athena responded.

"In that case, I would propose that you perform the pattern with which you are already well-acquainted, since we will likely have to spend most of our time practicing on our shared performance," he continued. "I will design something appropriately _impressive _for Wednesday. Perhaps we should add an additional session per week to our training routine, seeing that we only have slightly more than three weeks to prepare."

"Kein Problem." Athena nodded in agreement. "What do you have in mind for our joint showing?"

"Mock combat, with steel instead of _bokutō_. If we are to provide excitement for a crowd, we might as well indulge in a spot of showmanship."

Seeing a flash of concern on her face, Simon continued, "Don't fret just yet, let me explain. I will plan out every stab, swing, and parry in advance, and we will practice each motion extensively. Think of it as a paired _kata _rather than sparring. Additionally, I may have some usable protective gear in storage, although it would not amount to a full set of armor. I will leave the decision on whether to proceed to you once I can present you with a finished outline – if you still don't feel comfortable with the idea, let me know and I will work on an alternative."

His concessions had apparently restored Athena's peace of mind, as she threw him a smile. "So… what are you gonna do for _your_ solo pattern?"

Simon smirked. "That, you will see on the day of the performance."


	16. Chapter 16

Athena spent most of the following two days in barely-contained excitement, wanting to see what Simon was planning for them.

Trucy, in turn, had been ecstatic about the fact that they had both agreed to perform at the Nine-Tails Vale Festival, and had immediately notified Jinxie of their decision.

Finally, Wednesday evening came around, and Athena found herself in front of the familiar apartment building.

However, when she rang the doorbell, nothing happened. No buzzing sound from the door, no activation of the intercom speaker.

_Huh…?_

She pushed the button again, only to be met with the same response.

Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder.

Athena's instincts took over: Reaching backwards, she grasped the unknown person's arm, tugging as she sharply leaned forward, and let go when her would-be assailant reached the top of his arc.

Only when he landed on the ground in front of her with a familiar-sounding grunt, and the hood he had been wearing slid off his head to reveal a patch of white in otherwise dark hair, did she realize that she had just thrown Simon over her shoulder.

"Oh shoot, are you okay…?"

He blinked up at her "My pride may have just sustained irreparable damage. Otherwise, I believe I will survive."

She reached down to help him up. "Sorry about that, it's a reflex…"

"And a good one to have, at that," he responded with a hint of amusement as he dusted himself off after standing. "I should have announced myself first."

"Where are you coming from right now?" Athena was curious.

"I needed to retrieve something from the storage unit Aura and I share."

The 'something' turned out to be a cheap velour bag which had seen better days. After Simon reached down to pick it up, he gestured toward the door. "Let's go inside."

As they climbed the stairs, Athena realized that he had just mentioned his sister for the first time since bringing her up in connection with her mother's training attire weeks ago.

"How's Aura doing?"

"Reasonably well, if the string of obscenities that emerges from her mouth every time I dare to show up for visiting hours is any indication." Simon snorted. "Wright-dono did a splendid job defending her. She will be on the ankle bracelet after June is out, free to return to work. Director Cosmos insisted that he could not have her off her projects any longer than this, and the court, for once, listened."

Athena had known that her boss had taken Simon's sister's case, but had not been present in court for it, since she was aware that Aura was not exactly enamored by her. Apparently, Simon had come by the office once to request their services, but had found it empty; he had then arranged Aura's defense with Mr. Wright over the phone. Apollo had provided assistance, as he had become fairly friendly with the sarcastic robotics engineer, and both of her colleagues had appeared satisfied when they had returned from court that day. She had not felt that it was her right to ask about the results back then.

They passed the second floor landing.

"Do you go to see her often?"

Simon stopped his ascent. "Twice a week, during my lunch break. Why the sudden interest?"

Athena took a moment to formulate her thoughts. "She's like us, isn't she…? Hurting because of what happened to Mom… And if it hadn't been for what she did, you'd be…"

She did not finish her sentence.

_I wish I could thank her somehow. In the end, I didn't save you…she did._

He remained silent for a long moment, and Athena thought she could see a muscle twitch in his jaw for the merest instant.

_Did I say something wrong…?_

"Aura is slowly coming to terms with what happened. I wouldn't venture to say that she is _happy_, but she will find closure."

Her worries were dispersed by him smiling slightly after that statement. "As I generally don't have a lot of conversation material at hand, I sometimes regale her with tales of our practice. If I interpret her correctly, she seems to find it admirable that you seek to understand your mother better – it's difficult to tell sometimes with that irascible harridan."

A giggle escaped from Athena's mouth at the incongruity of the care for his sister in his heart and his insult. "Do you call her that to her face?"

Simon resumed climbing the stairs while throwing over his shoulder, "I'm her younger brother. It comes with the territory."

* * *

After they arrived in his apartment, Simon dropped the bag unceremoniously on the floor, indicating that whatever was in it was at least not breakable even though it _did _make a clattering sound as if a number of small, hard pieces were contained within it.

Athena could not help but be curious. _Hm, I wonder what that is. He said something about "protective gear," but if he meant his old fencing stuff, that wouldn't make a sound like that, right?_

"If you will excuse me for a moment while I change…"

Simon walked toward the partition behind which his bed was concealed, and a moment later, the rustling of clothes being pulled off reached her ears.

Athena's brain decided at this moment to helpfully supply mental images of him undressing, filling in the bits she had not seen first-hand, and she could feel her face growing hot.

_Dammit, girl! Will you stop _perving _over him already?!_

Of course, just at that juncture, a bare arm and shoulder peeked past the partition as he pulled on his _gi_.

_Okay, that is just unfair. _Athena did not even want to contemplate whether that was because he had let her unwittingly see part of his body in an undressed state, or whether it was because he had not revealed anything she had yet to see.

_Only you would get hot and bothered over getting to see his _arm. _For crying out loud, get it together!_

By the time he returned, Athena's blush had thankfully abated.

Simon crouched by the bag he had dropped, opening the zipper. "I will likely have to make some adjustments to one of these, seeing that they were made for me, but that shouldn't present an insurmountable obstacle."

He pulled out something that looked like a tapestry of interlocking, bright red scales, with ropes on each side and on the two outgrowths at the top. Athena had seen something like this before, in old movies – lamellar chest armor as worn by the samurai of old, although these pieces were obviously not antiques.

"Where'd you get these, or, more importantly, _why?_"

His grin was somewhat self-conscious. "Call it a collector's frenzy. I may have been slightly overzealous in my purchases when I first started learning from your mother." He paused. "She laughed at me."

Athena lifted a hand to her mouth to stifle the giggle rising up in her throat.

Simon raised an eyebrow at her, although he was obviously amused, as well. "Hn, that expression… déjà vu at its finest."

He held one of the pieces of armor up as he explained. "This is a traditional-style _dō _made from lacquered leather – it is lightweight and moves with the body as much as is possible for the level of protection provided. While it will not stand up to everything indiscriminately, it should slow down any accidental glances with a blade enough to where injuries won't occur within the covered area. The set _does _involve some attacks at body parts other than the torso, and unfortunately, I can't provide armor for those instances, but the overall risk should be significantly diminished if we wear these."

Approaching her, he then instructed, "Hold on to the shoulder straps while I see how many rows I have to remove."

Simon came to a halt behind her, lifting the cuirass over her head. A moment later, the hard yet light material made contact with her _gi_, and she lifted her hands to hold it in place as instructed. For a moment, the scales tightened around her, and he grunted disapprovingly.

"This won't do… I can almost wrap you twice in this."

Now, Athena _did _giggle. "What exactly were you expecting? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a towering, broad-chested guy."

"You don't say." His flippant response made her laugh even harder – until his hands came to a rest at her sides to hold the _dō _in place for a moment, his fingers upturned and less than an inch from the undersides of her breasts, although safely on top of the armored material.

"Apologies. I'm trying to decide where the border should be to maximize both protection and range of movement."

There was that _pulse _in the voice of his heart again, still remaining only almost-definable yet inexplicably enticing. Athena closed her eyes and counted to ten in her head in four different languages.

By the time she had reached _Zehn _in German, both Simon's hands and the lacquered leather scales were lifted away from her body. She turned to see him walking over to the couch while his fingers were prying at the knots on the sides of the cuirass.

"Sit down, this will take me a few minutes."

Athena sat next to him on the couch, looking on curiously as he opened the knots and unraveled part of the interwoven framework of scales on each side, placing the loose chips of lacquered leather on the table.

A glance up at his face had her realize for the first time that he looked more than a little tired tonight; the dark smudges under his eyes, which had slowly been receding, were once more becoming prominent, and he seemed paler than was usual for him – not that his hue was the glow of health at the best of times.

"Trouble sleeping lately?" she tried making small talk.

His hands stilled.

"I don't know what you are referring to."

The discord from his heart rattled her eardrums like the sound of a gong.

Athena cringed slightly before hesitantly offering, "If there's anything you wanna talk about…"

He looked up for a moment, then concentrated once more on his work. His gaze was shuttered. "There is nothing to tell."

Another lie, another nearly deafening echo of discord.

_Okay, now I _know _something's up… but a fat lot of good _that _does me if he clams up like that…_

The knowledge that he was still keeping secrets capable of causing this level of discord from her stung a little, but Athena knew that all she could do at this point was offer him an open ear and hope that he would at some point be willing to share.

_Simon… you've got me worried. _Please _let me be there for you. I want to help._

* * *

Simon could see in her eyes that she did not buy for one moment that nothing was bothering him, but was glad that she did not attempt to ask further questions.

_Do not pry. Revealing this…it will change the way you see me. It will humiliate me. Let it pass. Soon, I will be able to forget about it again for a while._

Eventually, he had loosened enough of the lacquered rawhide scales that the time came to refasten the knots holding the cuirass together.

"Stand up and turn your back to me. Hold the shoulder pieces in place again."

Wordlessly, Athena complied – obviously, she was still mulling over whatever she had heard in his heart. He lifted the _dō_ over her head and pulled the ties towards himself once it had settled over her chest.

"Tell me if I am tying it too tightly." His words were as much inquiry as an attempt to distract her from her thoughts.

"No, this works."

A moment later, the armor was snugly in place. Athena looked down on herself, using the knuckles of her right hand to tentatively knock on the hard scales now stretched across the front of her torso and around her sides.

"Not bad… and I think I'll be able to move in this."

Simon nodded, satisfied at hearing her assessment. "That was the entire point. If you would assist me with my own…"

He crouched to remove another _dō _from the bag he had retrieved out of storage, holding it against himself as he stood once more.

"Um, how do you want me to tie this?"

"Upper cord to upper, lower to lower, shoulder cords to upper."

Soon, Simon, too, was sporting a sheet of hardened leather across his chest. While the red lacquer of both sets blended in with the slightly darker material of Athena's _gi_, his own more drab attire of black and gray made the color stand out rather strongly.

She seemed to think so, as well. "I take it they didn't sell any black ones?"

He snorted as he reached for the _saya _at his side. "They didn't, in fact. Now then, let me demonstrate your part in our joint performance to you. While I will use the _katana _to show you, we will begin practicing with _bokutō _until we are both familiar with each movement. However, we will wear the _dō _from now on regardless in order to learn how to move quickly in spite of its constraint."


	17. Chapter 17

That first evening of practice for the festival, Simon had Athena exercise through the movements he had designed for her alongside him until she was confident that she could repeat the entire pattern without major problems. As he had said, there were a few high and low thrusts and slices which their partial armor would not fend off, but Athena had to agree that the hint of danger would add to the thrill for the viewing public, and felt confident that they would practice these parts in particular to ensure no injury occurred. Then, Simon stood opposite her, adding in his part of the mock combat performance. She was amazed to find that the steps and swings through which they were progressing felt entirely natural, like motions either one of them would utilize in a regular sparring session.

"So, how did you come up with this pattern? It feels so… right, somehow."

He was quiet for a moment. "I modeled it after a bout with your mother, as I remember it. It seemed apt."

Athena _had _been wondering why he had designated _her _the winner of their faux combat, and was only momentarily surprised when she learned that her mother's movements resembled her own slowly emerging personal style of sparring so much.

_I am literally following in your footsteps, Mom. We'll reenact one of Simon's memories of you in front of a crowd - in your honor._

By now, this thought caused a spark of melancholic love to flare up in her heart; the grief, so fresh when they had begun their training two months ago, had given way to renewed resigned acceptance that Metis Cykes was gone. However, the consciousness that her mother had cared for her, had wanted the best for her, remained, as did the feeling of connectedness whenever Athena's fingers closed around the _saya _of her sword.

_I'll continue training with Simon for as long as he'll teach me. I want to become as good as you were at some point. I know, that'll probably take forever, but we have all the time in the world._

From the second practice session on, they began gradually speeding up their routine, until their mock battle was all but a blur of thrusts and parries, quick side-steps, circling each other in the feigned search for an opening, and the sharp sound of wood meeting wood. Athena wouldhave felt satisfaction at their progress and they way they effortlessly managed to act as one in this endeavor, but instead found herself worrying about the once again darkening shadows under Simon's eyes. Yet, he still did not breathe a word to her about what was bothering him, preferring instead to act as if nothing was going on, and she did not know how to broach the subject. Thus, a week passed.

The following Wednesday, they began using their _katana _in their practice, once again slowing their movements to what felt like a crawl to Athena by now. However, she did not complain, as it was in the spirit of safety. They only had one minor mishap during their second additional Sunday session when her foot slipped on the condensation fluid her water bottle had left on the floor during a break, causing Simon's blade to connect with her side, but the _dō _did what it was supposed to do. Some of the scales were gouged in the process, but as he had kept the extraneous samples he had removed from Athena's cuirass, Simon was able to replace them. By now, she was sure that he had sworn off sleep altogether – she heard his not entirely successful attempts to stifle yawns more often than once, and she knew that, if he had been at his full potential, he would have never even glanced her with his sword in spite of her misstep. He still said nothing, and it was all Athena could do to keep her increasing concern in check enough to not begin committing mistakes, herself.

On Tuesday, nearly two weeks after they had begun preparing their mock combat demonstration, Athena had a case to defend in court, going up against Gaspen Payne. It was difficult to not snicker every time she looked over at the prosecutor's bench, and Widget screeched out **"Hairpiece!" **at one point when tempers were running particularly high, which in turn caused Apollo, who had accompanied her, to mask a laugh by lifting a fist to his face and miming a cough. The humorous interlude at his expense seemed to inspire persistence in the middle-aged prosecutor, and although they ultimately managed to best him, they did not return to the offices of the Wright Anything Agency until about four thirty in the afternoon.

When they arrived, Mr. Wright was on the phone, his eyes trained on his computer with a serious expression on his face.

"… I know what you mean, Edgeworth. Yes. Yes. A press conference? Well, the one three and a half months ago didn't do much… I know, I know, you're doing what you can. Yes, I'll tell her. Thanks for letting me know."

Apparently, Trucy already knew at least something about what was going on; the girl's usually sunny expression was subdued – and when her gaze met Athena's, the young magician's suddenly contained a hint of pity.

Athena felt a cold shiver running down her spine. _Something bad has happened, and it has to do with Simon._

A moment later, her boss uttered the words she had already been expecting.

"Athena, could you come here for a moment?"

She gulped, took the first step towards the open door of the study. Then, Apollo's hand was on her upper arm, and he gave her a quick, if serious, nod. His message was clear. _Let's hear this together, whatever it is_.

They both sat down in the chairs usually reserved for visitors, opposite Mr. Wright.

"Has either one of you had time to take a look at the Internet today?"

Athena mutely shook her head, feeling a small rush of air as Apollo did the same next to her. She generally did not bother fiddling with Widget beyond her use of the Mood Matrix while at court, as she did not want to unnecessarily distract herself from her case.

Somehow, their superior's features became even more serious.

"To make a long story short, someone leaked the entirety of Blackquill's prison record online. Every incident, anything the warden or a guard would find worthy of entering into his file. Edgeworth first let me know about it around lunch time, when he was notified about this by his press secretary. I admit that your name may have come up in conjunction with Blackquill during our weekly talks, Athena, which is why he contacted me in the first place."

Mr. Wright closed his eyes and sighed. "Apparently, the prosecutor's office is currently preparing a press conference about this matter, since the news articles showed up soon after the leaked data spread far enough. Athena, there's just one bit in there everyone found juicy enough to tear into, but… I'm not sure how you're going to take this…"

She swallowed hard. "Tell me."

Her boss grimaced slightly. "It may be easier to show you."

He turned his laptop around.

_TWISTED SAMURAI ESCAPED NOOSE NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE!_

_Anonymously disclosed prison records indicate that Simon Blackquill (29), the now ostensibly exonerated prosecutor whose conviction for murder was one of the events bringing about the Dark Age of the Law, had mere seconds left to live on March 24, 2027, when a review panel granted a last-minute stay of execution. According to the available files, the appeal had been filed by current Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. SuperNewsNow was unable to obtain information as to what his reasons for requesting the stay were, or why it was granted. However, the fact that the 'Twisted Samurai' was reissued his license to practice law in spite of remaining on Death Row shortly thereafter, and that he was 'proved' innocent just as the stay had been lifted and a new execution date set, is telling. Who is the mysterious, as yet undisclosed 'real murderer,' whose revelation prompted Blackquill's release? What is the L.A. Prosecutor's Office hiding?_

The words blurred before Athena's eyes.

_March 24. Three weeks before I returned from Europe._

_I almost would've never seen him again._

_Today, he would've been gone for a year._

Dimly, she heard Mr. Wright continue to speak. "I'm sorry, Athena, I had no idea… when Edgeworth first asked me to look into Blackquill's case, he didn't mention this to me. Of course, the stay was granted since there were indications that the Phantom was on the move once again, which made it possible for him to point out your friend as the only expert on hand. Problem is, as you know, that some bureaucrats chose to hush up most aspects of the case because of national security concerns. Edgeworth is currently attempting to gain permission from the governor to disclose everything in the press conference, considering that they have the guy in custody now, but he can't promise anything at this point since Interpol also have their fingers in this matter. On the other hand, now that the prosecutor's office itself, rather than just one person whose reputation the powers-that-be were not all that interested in, is in the line of fire in spite of everything being aboveboard, there's a chance he'll finally get through to them…"

Her boss paused for a moment. "One more thing. He told me to let you know… Blackquill called in sick today. Considering the date, and the fact that he has apparently _never _done this before, Edgeworth is concerned, but he's obviously stuck at the office at the moment. To his knowledge, you're the only other person who knows where he lives, and he didn't want to do something which could be misconstrued by sending one of his detectives over to check up on him..."

Athena remained stunned for a moment longer, before she jumped up so quickly that the chair fell backward, its back rest hitting the floor with a clatter.

"…I gotta go."

Mr. Wright threw her a small, sympathetic smile. "I wouldn't have told you if I had no intention to let you. Go ahead – and if there's anything we can do, let us know."

"Thanks, boss!" These words already came from outside the study, where Athena was now hurriedly pulling her phone out of her bag. The small device was resting against her ear as she stormed out of the office, the door slamming behind her.

After she was gone, the blue-clad attorney turned to his junior partner. "And there she goes, off to save him yet again. If she didn't insist that they're just friends, I'd be sure that _something _was going on there."

Apollo snorted helplessly. "Tell me about it. So… you're _gossiping _with the Chief Prosecutor about these two?"

Mr. Wright shrugged. "Just as I have my charges, Edgeworth has his. Granted, he has a lot more of them, but Blackquill is obviously something of a special case, considering his background. After the whole mess before Christmas last year, the two of them came up as a topic a few times, and when they started their lark with the swords, we were interested to see where it would lead, so we've been comparing notes. We concluded that both of them have started to seem a lot more even-keeled since then, which in turn was good news for our respective trial records."

Then, he smiled at his junior partner. "There's a reason the Wright Anything Agency hasn't clashed with Blackquill in court since then, you know…"

Apollo gaped. "Machiavelli had nothing on you two."

Mr. Wright shook his head. "You misunderstand. We're not just ensuring that their little song and dance isn't interrupted by animosity over a case, and we're obviously not trying to meddle in their affairs. Primarily, we're trying to avoid any accusations of trial fixing, considering their prior connection, even _if _the press hasn't dug into that yet… although not pitting them against each other is a pleasant side effect."

A wink. "And if you and me are not just seeing things, and they eventually _do _decide to go the distance… who are we to begrudge them a bit of happiness? God knows they both could use some, even if they'd be a bit of an odd couple."

Then, his features once more became serious. "… that is, if today's events don't cause things to turn messy yet again."

* * *

Athena was tempted to jump off the bus and just make her way to Simon's place on foot more than once as it crawled into the progressively slowing traffic of the early evening rush hour. Simon was not answering his phone or responding to her texts, and her worries were beginning to escalate into a frenzy.

Yes, Mr. Wright and his friend, the Chief Prosecutor, had obviously been concerned for Simon, but her boss had made no mention of Edgeworth noticing her friend's growing unrest, his returning insomniac tendencies – and the magenta-besuited man had no way of hearing the deafening discord in his heart. Simon calling in sick was so uncharacteristic of him that it was concerning by itself, and he could not have known yet at that point that his records had been laid open for all of the world to see, considering that even the prosecutorial press secretary had not noticed the leak until lunch time.

_This is what you didn't wanna tell me. You're alone on the anniversary of the day you almost died…Please be okay. I'll be there soon._

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity later, Athena finally arrived in front of Simon's apartment building.

_What makes you think that he's gonna open the door if he doesn't even pick up his phone?_

Still, she had to try. Pushing the doorbell button, she closed her eyes and waited. One second, two seconds, three seconds…

The buzzing of the door sounded, without the intercom speaker activating. _Taka. _

She sprinted up the stairs, only realizing halfway up that she might yet be foiled if he had locked himself up inside his apartment.

Her luck held out; the doorknob turned without resistance, and she was able to let herself in.


	18. Chapter 18

By the time Athena had stepped off the bus, dusk had already fallen, and at this point, only the faintest glimmer of daylight shone into the otherwise dark room from the windows alongside the orange glow of the streetlights below. It took her eyes a moment to readjust to the dim lighting, as the staircase had been brightly lit; casting her gaze about, she noticed him sitting on – no, more draping himself over – the couch. His head had fallen back onto the backrest of the piece of furniture so that he was facing upwards, and his eyes were closed. Next, she noticed the _umeshu _bottle on the table, now empty. Taka was perching on the armrest of the sofa, but fluttered up to return to his stand near the kitchen area when she took a hesitant step closer.

"Simon…?"

She should have guessed when he had not reacted to the sounds of her coming in, but when he unsteadily struggled to sit up straight, his eyes opened with difficulty, and he did not quite manage to focus his gaze on her, his state became impossible to ignore.

_He's completely smashed._

"Now you know, I presume. Everyone does. The 'Twisted Samurai' pulled a fast one before even beginning to make a mockery of the justice system. I'd toast to getting out of the California Collar at the last moment, but I'm afraid I've run out."

His slurred words ended in a hollow chuckle.

Athena sat down next to him, struck silent by the state he was in, and by the renewed anguish at the thought that she had come so close to losing him.

"How much have you found out?"

She answered with what she had learned from the news story Mr. Wright had shown her. "Only that you… you were seconds away from being executed when a stay was granted…"

Her hands flew to her mouth when she fully realized the implications. _Seconds away…the rope would've been around your neck already…_

He gazed unseeingly at the wall on the opposite side of the room. When he spoke up again, his voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

"Yes… had my last meal, got to dress in something _presentable _rather than the prison jumpsuit, and then stood on the scaffold, all prepared and ready to go."

His hand slapped his knee a couple of times as he laughed, a listless imitation of the gesture of amusement he employed in court.

"Excuse the pun. I'm surprised though… the articles didn't mention what happened next? It's quite the funny story. Ah well, I'm sure it's only a matter of time."

Athena dreaded to hear what he would say next, as the turmoil in his heart told her that he was approaching the crux of the matter now, the reason for his anguish. She sincerely doubted that there was anything remotely _funny _about it, but if he did not unburden himself, it would just keep festering inside his mind.

After he remained quiet for a while, still staring straight ahead, she prompted, "What more is there?"

Now, Simon turned towards her, his eyes glittering oddly in the fading light.

"You want to know?"

_No. No, I really don't… but I have to. Let me share your pain._

"Please tell me," Athena requested.

Suddenly, a grin stretched his lips, sharp as a dagger and utterly humorless, and he forced out the next words in harshly hissed syllables.

"Awfully eager to learn what it was like for me to face off with the grim reaper, aren't we?"

He stopped himself when he saw her crestfallen expression, lifting a hand to his forehead and drawing it across his eyes with a sigh.

"You don't want to know. Then again, you'll read about it soon enough... about my cowardice near the end."

Athena hesitantly put her hand on his arm as she shook her head. "I… I don't understand. Of course you'd have been afraid to die, who wouldn't be…?"

He emitted another laugh at her attempt to commiserate, a curt, bleak bark devoid of mirth.

"'Afraid.' I suppose you could put it that way. Aura had a few _other_ words for it, although I'm not entirely sure whether she was referring to me or herself."

Athena could not help it; she blurted out, "She was there?!"

The huff she got from him in response was full of bitterness. "They were sweeping the execution under the rug, just like most aspects of the crime – they wanted me done away with quietly, after the damage my conviction caused. Out of sight, out of mind. What better way to disprove the press's jabber about the 'Dark Age of the Law' than by treating its harbinger's death like it was of no consequence? They couldn't stop Aura from attending though, seeing that she's family, and she came to see me off, you could say… of course, I doubt _she _was expecting the spectacle we ended up making of ourselves, either, it must've been quite an eyeful for the guards…"

Simon's voice dropped to a mutter, the words blending into each other as he spoke faster and faster, now unable to hold back. He did not look at her.

"There I was, standing on the gallows, trying to be all stoic and upright with the clock ticking down, but when they pulled the hood over my face and tightened the noose to prepare me for the big drop, I was _shaking_, I couldn't seem to calm myself, and Aura started _wailing_, and I felt the trapdoor vibrating underneath my feet with every step of my executioner, I knew he was making for the lever that would end it all…"

His stream of words stopped in a snicker, unlike anything he had ever uttered before, a venomous little noise that made her shiver.

"… I pissed myself. There you are, Athena. In what were to be his last moments, the Twisted Bloody Samurai shook like a leaf in terror and pissed his bloody _fucking _pants in front of his sister, who was in hysterics. Are you satisfied now?"

With each of his words, the anguish, the _shame _in his heart had risen towards a crescendo of pain, and his final question ended in a harsh noise caught between a laugh and a sob.

Athena was stunned.

_Oh god, Simon…_ He had always seemed larger than life to her, both during her childhood and now, and while he had recently begun opening up to her, had offered her the occasional look into his thoughts and feelings, she had still been unconsciously putting him on a pedestal. He was the man who had saved her from being indicted for her mother's murder by selflessly shouldering the burden himself. The man who taught her something her mother had loved, overcoming his own misgivings about it for her sake. The man who had taken an accidental wounding from her blade without complaint, instead striving to reassure _her_. She had leaned on him for support again and again, always assured in his unwavering strength.

Now, however, all the roles she had assigned to him in her mind were forcefully pushed aside when tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes. The pedestal was gone. He was her friend, he was a human being, and he was _hurting_. His heart still clearly thrummed with the shame and the horror he had just recalled; however, these emotional impressions had been strongest when he had mentioned his sister.

_Aura…no wonder you tried to keep this from happening again, no matter the cost. No wonder you hated me. _To have to witness her brother, whom the engineer _did _love dearly according to the voice of her heart if not her words, succumb to his fear of dying in front of her… To see his carefully cultivated, hardened façade being torn away as his physical reactions to his terror slipped from his control… To know that he would be reduced to a lifeless husk the very next moment, all for an oblivious girl half a world away who, for all Aura had known, might have been the true culprit of the murder for which he would now hang… And to _then _be granted relief by a hair's breadth, only to be threatened with reliving the nightmare nine months later…

Athena was under no illusion that she would ever fully understand how horrible that day had been for both Blackquill siblings, but even this glimpse at what it must have been like nearly caused her to retch in sympathetic anguish.

_I'm so sorry… so very, very sorry…_

Feeling tears of her own threatening to fall, she snapped at herself internally.

_Don't you _dare _cry. Don't you _dare _be selfish and make this about you. You weren't here. You didn't go through this. They did. _He _did._

Wordlessly, her hand on his upper arm began moving in circles that were meant to be soothing but felt hollow and ineffectual to her. Yet, she did not know what else to do, how to relieve the pain this memory was causing him.

Simon stared straight ahead as he concluded his tale, his voice a dull monotone, his consonants notably slurring into each other. "Of course, _then _the goddamn phone call came. They took the noose off my neck and the hood off my head, joking about the fact that I wasn't such tough _shit_, after all… Aura couldn't even _look _at me… and then, as I was manhandled back to my cell, I had to try and hide what I did from the other prisoners… it wouldn't have done to threaten my _image_, after all…"

His shoulders started shaking, but it was impossible to tell if it was due to suppressed sobs or yet another bout of mirthless laughter.

"It'll all come out. The press'll find one of the guards, or maybe even the executioner, and I'm sure they'll be all too happy to talk about the day they saw one of the most reviled men in the country with a big wet spot between his legs. How could they not be? It's _hilarious_!"

"It's not."

Athena's quiet objection startled Simon out of his bitter tirade, and he finally turned back towards her to meet her eyes. Her voice vibrated with constrained anger as she kept on speaking.

"To laugh at _anyone _being terrified of dying is _grotesque_, no matter what they've done, or are suspected of doing."

She took a deep breath. "I know you don't want me to apologize. I know you don't want pity. But I want you to know… even if some jerks out there somehow find out about this, even if it ends up all over the papers… I'll always respect you. I'll always be here to listen. Don't feel you always have to be strong for me, because I could _never _judge you for moments when you can't be."

Impulsively, she pulled her legs up onto the seat cushions of the couch and knelt before she embraced her friend. His forehead came to a rest on her shoulder, the moisture on his cheeks dampening her skin through the fabric of her shirt. He did not resist. After a moment, she found one of her hands gently carding through his hair, which, for all that it always seemed a little tousled and unruly even in its shorter state, was surprisingly soft. When another moment had passed, his arms settled clumsily around her waist. His deep, still somewhat ragged breaths provided one of the few sounds in the otherwise silent apartment.

Simon lifted his head after a few minutes, his gaze unfocused and half-lidded as he turned to face her. Suddenly, he was close enough that Athena could feel every breath emerging from his slightly open lips on hers, causing her own to part. The fingers of her right hand remained nestled in his hair; it would be so easy to tug him toward her that last inch, to bring to pass what, if she dared to admit it to herself, she had wanted for a while now, to maybe let them both forget momentarily about the painful memories he had been struggling with for the last few weeks –

_He's drunk as a skunk. He won't remember much, if any, of this, come tomorrow. If you took advantage of him right now, even if he looks like he wouldn't have a problem with it, you'd be the worst – and you'd never be able to face him again. How can you even _think _about it?!_

Reluctantly, Athena moved her head to the side, sidestepping the temptation, her chin now in turn coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Maybe you should get some sleep… I know you haven't been able to lately…"

_That, and you decided on drinking more than half of a large bottle of liquor after a ridiculously long dry spell. You're gonna feel _that _tomorrow…_

The way Simon was beginning to lean heavily against her, and the way his hold on her had slackened, indicated that he was about ready to nod off, anyway.

"Mm…"

_Okay, Mister Eloquent, if you're beyond intelligible one-word responses, it's _definitely _bedtime for you._

Athena slid her legs off the couch, lifting one of his arms to put it across her shoulders in order to help him up.

"Come on, giddyup!"

Simon almost made her fall when he pitched forward after unsteadily moving to stand, but she managed to stabilize them both. Then, she slowly maneuvered him across the room towards his bed, which was surprisingly difficult to accomplish in a straight line with him putting his whole weight on her, dragging his feet and threatening to trip more than once.

"Ugh, you're _heavy_…"

Eventually, they reached their destination, and Athena leaned forward to let his upper body drop to the mattress. Simon's breathing became deep and regular within seconds, his bare toes still brushing the ground at the side of his sleeping stead.

"Oh, you have _got _to be _kidding _me…"

Smiling down at him, nowhere near as exasperated as her statement to the uncaring room had sounded, she took hold of his knees, pulling and shoving until he was completely situated on top of the bed and maneuvering him on his side to prevent him from choking, should he vomit in his sleep. She did not think that he had sustained alcohol poisoning so acute that he would need medical attention or supervision, as he had been coherent before falling asleep, was breathing normally, and his skin temperature felt slightly elevated rather than cold, but judging from his unsteady gait and slurred speech, he had obviously had enough to where chucking up at some point was more than likely.

_He's probably gonna be sick in the morning at the latest… better leave him something to toss his cookies into._

Athena once more walked towards the kitchen and rummaged in his cabinets for a moment until she came up with a wide bowl that would be difficult to miss. On her way back through the apartment, she heard a muffled buzzing noise coming from the cell phone in her bag.

The message had been sent by Mr. Wright.

**_Good news – Edgeworth came through. Check this link. Hope he's OK._**

She pulled up the URL he had sent on her phone.

_PRESS COVERAGE OF BLACKQUILL RECORD LEAK FORCES PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE TO FINALLY REVEAL BACKGROUND OF MURDER, HAT-1 MIRACLE_

_In the wake of renewed questions about the 'Twisted Samurai's' two suspicious escapes from execution, Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth today presented the evidence which ultimately led to the infamous prosecutor's exoneration to the public. Having become embroiled in the investigation of an international spy and saboteur only known as 'the Phantom' soon after taking the bar exam, Prosecutor Simon Blackquill happened upon the victim, who had been killed by the spy, and confessed to the crime for which he was convicted in order to protect a family member of the victim, Dr. Metis Cykes, from false suspicion. The spy has been in police custody ever since the day Blackquill was cleared of all charges. (Click here to continue reading)_

Athena smiled. _Thanks, Mr. Edgeworth. Hopefully, this'll keep them from digging any further into this matter. Let them run after the Phantom, instead – and good riddance._

Noticing that Simon's desktop was in sleep mode, she wiggled the mouse, delighted to find that he had not bothered to set a password on his account, and entered the same URL into his browser. _If he checks his e-mails in the morning like I do, he'll see it._

A small block of Post-It notes caught her eye next. Figuring that she should let him know she had been here if he did not remember anything once he awoke, considering that she was leaving traces of her stay in a number of places at the moment, she scrawled out a quick message to stick to his monitor.

**Hope you don't feel too awful when you wake up. Read the article currently on the screen. Text me when you get a chance. – Athena**

Absentmindedly, she chewed on the end of his pen for a moment until the tip of her tongue wandered over a number of teeth marks already in place, causing her to blush slightly. She hastily removed the plastic object from her mouth.

_Uhh…I should probably add something to that, _she thought in an attempt to distract herself, and ended up scribbling underneath,

**P.S.: In case you don't remember: You told me, I still respect you, and I always will. – A.**

After pushing the adhesive strip of the note against the screen, making sure her message was easily visible, Athena deposited the bowl next to the bed. She leaned over Simon's still body to place a quick kiss on his temple, running her fingers through his hair one more time, and quietly pulled the apartment door shut behind her as she left shortly thereafter.


	19. Chapter 19

Simon woke when the first rays of early morning sunlight invaded through the nearby window, sending a stab of pain through his head the moment he managed to pry his eyelids open.

_No. Just no._

He closed his eyes again, refusing to move – while he had not experienced a hangover for a very long time, he knew exactly what one felt like, and this one promised to be terrible.

_What in blazes happened last night that I got this drunk…?_

Then, he remembered what day yesterday had been, and although the memory of one year ago oddly felt like it had lost some of its edge, its return was enough to make his stomach churn violently.

_Oh bloody hell – _

He got up as hurriedly as was currently possible for him, only to nearly trip over a bowl which had somehow materialized next to his bed overnight. Considering his current urge to vomit, it was a godsend – wondering about how it had come to be at hand could wait.

Simon slumped back down onto the mattress with the convenient receptacle in both hands, doubled over, and let go. After he was done, he took a few steadying breaths and once again moved to stand, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the bowl's contents.

_Right. It has been a while, but you know the drill, Blackquill. First order of business: Dispose of this. Second order of business: Rinse your mouth out and take a damn shower. Third order of business: Painkillers and lots of water. Today is a workday – get to it._

Five minutes later, hot water was cascading over him, and he began to feel somewhat less like something which had been scraped off the bottom of his boots, complete with the ability to formulate thoughts which did not just reflect his immediate course of action.

Simon began dissecting his rather fragmented memories of the day before. It had started in a comparatively subdued manner: he had called into work after having been completely unable to sleep all night and finding himself incapable of so much as typing a coherent e-mail, as he would not have been able to accomplish anything worthwhile at the office in this state. Then, the distraction game had begun. To be entirely honest, he would have preferred working to doing what little housework had had to be done, cleaning his computer's not exactly cluttered registry by hand, trying and failing to read a book, and risking injury when his sword had almost slipped while attempting to exercise through a few _kata_ due to his lack of concentration. Finally, he had begun aimlessly browsing the Internet. That was when his already unpleasant day had taken a sharp turn for the positively miserable.

Simon's forehead slowly connected with the tiles. Ah yes, _that _was why he had decided to get sloshed into oblivion in the first place.

_Perhaps it is already all out in the open by now…_

He found himself contemplating notifying the office that he would be out of commission for another day as soon as he got out of the shower, but decided against it.

_Hiding will merely give them further ammunition. You have dealt with them fearing you for years, you can handle them laughing at you for a few weeks, until the next mayfly story comes along. _

Matters were not quite that simple, of course, as the additional coverage alongside the damage to his reputation might finally put paid to his career, but Simon was in no mood to examine the potential repercussions in any more detail before he had even subjected himself to the inanity of the online news cycle to check how the mudslinging had progressed.

After swallowing some pain medication, he exited the bathroom clad in nothing but a towel around his waist, helped himself to a bottle of water, and moved towards his desk, when he noticed something odd: A bright yellow sticky note adhered to the middle of his computer monitor.

_What…?_

His first thought when he drew near enough to decipher the message was, incongruently enough, _What do you know, she _can _spell. _

Then his eyes fell on her postscript. While her assurance that her respect for him had not suffered from knowing the truth was somewhat comforting, her sparse word choice was more than enough reason for renewed concern.

_What _did _I tell her?_

_About last year? Likely. She would have asked._

_About more… recent developments?_

For a moment, the impenetrable fog surrounding his memories shortly after hitting the bottom of the _umeshu _bottle parted, presenting him with Athena's face being incredibly close to his own, a slight blush on her cheeks, her breath mingling with his…

Simon groaned. _I did _not. _Not while being drunk to the point of insensibility._

It took considerable mental effort to shove this particular alarming thought aside for the time being.

_Let's see what she wanted you to take a look at, _then_ you can wonder about how to get her to tell you more about what happened while she was here. One step at a time, Blackquill._

He tapped the space bar of the keyboard and the monitor dutifully lit up, the headline of the article she had left open in his browser jumping out at him.

_Don't count your chickens before they are hatched_, he mentally warned himself right away against the sudden wild hope flaring up in his heart._ This is from yesterday evening. Check what else is out there._

Fortunately, his search results presented him with news snippets displaying much the same information as that first article – nothing more about his aborted execution, indeed no further details about his leaked records whatsoever, only slavering for more facts about the Phantom after acknowledging their prior target's officially established innocence in passing.

_Hmph. An apology would have been too much to ask for, I suppose. _Not that he cared one whit about insincere obsequiousness by the mudslingers – considering that his work did place him in the public eye on a regular basis, they would be up to their old games soon enough. However, at least for now, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth had managed to divert their attention away from him, muzzling them with evidence. While it was still possible that, at some point, his shameful secret _would _be revealed, today was not that day.

Simon let out a breath which felt as though he had been holding it ever since yesterday.

_Now for the next problem._

He still had almost two hours left before he had to leave for work, and, judging from the fact that Athena readily admitted to not being a morning person, doubted that she was even awake yet. This left him with a reasonable amount of time to ponder how to approach her with a disconcerting gap regarding their interactions in his memories.

* * *

When Athena untangled herself from her blanket about half an hour before she was expected at the Wright Anything Agency office, the first thing she did was check her phone. No new messages, no missed calls.

Groping for Widget on her nightstand, she put on her half-glove and called up her electronic companion's holographic screen, seeing whether any detrimental new developments in the news cycle had occurred, but did not find anything noteworthy.

_Is he still sleeping, or… did he take my message the wrong way somehow?_

A quick glance at the upper right-hand corner of the display told her that, for the moment, she would have to postpone further thoughts on that question, as it was high time she got dressed and went to work.

Athena had just walked into the door of her workplace, raising her hand to wave at Apollo on the couch, when finally, a short buzzing sound from her bag reached her ears.

"Uh, morning…"

She hurried to reach for her phone, unaware of her colleague's curious look after her suddenly halfhearted greeting, and pulled up the message.

**_Saw your note, read the article. Thank you for coming by. Have to admit my memories are dim at best. Apologies for anything untoward I may have said or done._**

Athena smiled at his preemptive apology even as she found herself unspeakably glad that she had not given in to her impulses last night.

_He's fine. _We're _fine._

And apparently, Simon was fishing for information.

Still standing in the doorframe, her fingers rapidly flew over the display keyboard.

**_nothing 'untoward' im aware of. nothing to apologize 4. how do u feel?_**

Her eyes fixed on the little screen, Athena moved to sit down next to Apollo, who now cleared his throat. She ignored him, as an answer had arrived.

**_Have been better, but will recover by tonight._**

The smile on her face broadened.

**_ok gr8! cu then!_**

She was in the process of putting her phone away when her associate said right next to her ear, "Earth to Athena, Athena, come in!"

Athena almost jumped a foot from her sitting position.

"Present!"

Apollo quirked an eyebrow at her, but his knowing grin told her that he did not begrudge her her impromptu texting conversation. "You sure about that?"

"Yep!" She nodded emphatically.

"I take it everything's okay, then?"

Before Athena could stop herself, she leaned toward her associate and gave him a quick hug, muttering, "Now it is."

He smiled back at her. "I'm glad to hear that."

Just that, nothing more. Apollo probably realized that she would not share anything that had transpired the night before, and she was grateful for his tact.

"I'm glad, too."

* * *

When Athena climbed the stairs to Simon's apartment that night, she was looking forward to seeing him in his regular uninebriated state again, although she _was _slightly worried that he might harbor some awkwardness regarding the secret he had disclosed to her.

He was waiting in the door, dressed in his practice attire, the _saya _of his sword at his side. "Good evening."

His greeting, while slightly hesitant, harbored neither discord nor pain, and carried no hint of intent to shut her out. He still looked a little drawn, but significantly more relaxed than he had during the last few weeks.

Athena's smile came readily. "Hi! Ready to do this?"

Simon's hand moved to rest easily on his scabbard. "Of course."

He stepped aside to let her in.

Their cuirasses were draped over the armrest of the couch; after retrieving both pieces of armor, Simon dropped the larger one on the ground next to him and made a circular gesture with his index finger outstretched.

Athena saluted with a wink, and turned on her heel.

A moment later, the _dō _settled against her torso and tightened as he began fastening the ties at her back, a by now familiar feeling. What was _not _familiar was the way the palm of his hand lingered at her lower back for an endless-seeming second after he was done.

_This is just him expressing his thanks about yesterday without bringing it up in conversation again. _

In a chipper tone, Athena prompted, "Alrighty, your turn!"

"Hn."

She was surprised to suddenly hear an odd mixture of emotions in his small huff.

_Relief… and disappointment?_

If it had been any other day, Athena would have inquired further, but considering the events of the prior evening and the cacophony of discord she had heard throughout, the minuteness and short duration of this dissonant note caused her to decide to let it go.

_Maybe just some sort of echo from yesterday. Besides, if you ask him about everything his heart tells you, he'll get really tired of your jabbering really quickly. Dial down the cheeriness a bit so he doesn't think you're being weird with him because of what he told you, and get on with stuff._

Internally shaking her head at herself, she grasped for the cords of his _dō _and began to tie them together.

[End of chapter]

* * *

**Warning:** I will have to raise the rating for this fic to M for the next chapter. There's nothing super-explicit in the sex'n'violence realm - if you haven't been offended by this fic yet, what is happening in the next chapter won't do it, either, but I'd rather not get it reported for being misrated. So, if you're accessing this fic from the master list, **remember that M-rated fics aren't shown by default**, you have to change the filters at the top to see it!


	20. Chapter 20

Their practice progressed in leaps and bounds in their sessions over the next seven days; by the Wednesday before the festival weekend, their demonstration resembled a furious battle, all but indiscernible as staged to anyone unfamiliar with their respective skill levels and performance in unplanned bouts. Athena had taken it upon herself to add appropriate facial expressions in a bid for added authenticity, her combative grin causing Simon to sport a predatory smirk of his own.

Every time they slowly circled each other, blades at the ready just before clashing for their next lightning-fast trade of blows, he was thanking his stars that the bout with her mother after which he had modeled this routine had not included much physical contact – Athena's manner of prowling, her eyes never leaving his, was enough by itself to elicit an unfortunate response in him at this point.

A response which, as he had once again ascertained, was unwanted.

Even after her answer via text to his indirect request for information that he had not done anything 'untoward,' complete with single quotation marks which seemed excessive for her texting style, Simon had been left wondering about the one snippet of memory he had managed to recall from the time period Athena had spent in his presence while he had been drunk. He was reasonably certain that her face being so close had not just been a dream, but he had no idea how things had progressed from there, no matter how hard he had tried to focus on remembering. As his doubts had still remained by the time she had arrived for practice, he had sought to innocuously gauge her response to slightly longer than necessary physical contact, figuring that, if something _had _happened between them, whether she considered it 'untoward' or not, his lingering touch would prompt a reaction from her. She had completely ignored it.

On one hand, Simon had been relieved that he had apparently not succumbed to his desires while irretrievably intoxicated; on the other, he could not entirely suppress a hint of disappointment, try as he might.

_You should be ashamed of yourself. She is a precious friend who came to your aid when you were at your most helpless and pathetic, and yet you keep using the wrong head whenever you think about her. _

* * *

Constantly reminding herself to stay focused as she was performing some rather hazardous maneuvers with a sharp blade, _dō _or no _dō_, Athena nevertheless enjoyed herself immensely as they worked their way towards the time of their performance: Saturday afternoon. Now that Simon's focus was once more as incisive as the edge of his sword and her concerns regarding his recent insomniac episode had been alleviated, she reveled in the cocky grins he threw at her just before his _katana _jabbed into her space, only to glance off her own, in the way he circled her like a predator his prey, his expression showing delight in the spiritedness of her resistance.

Who would have guessed that battle, even if it was staged from first to last, could be such a primal experience?

If only he would throw her _that _grin once they had lowered their swords. If only he would advance on her like _that _with an entirely different intent.

_Do you _really _wanna risk what you have with him for a chance at something more? Are you willing to bet everything on the fact that he _seemed _like he wanted to kiss you while he was black-out smashed? Because you _do _realize that you have nothing else to go on, and that beer goggles _are _a thing, right?_

However, the tempting thoughts stubbornly remained.

Athena had practiced her solo pattern extensively on the days between their practice sessions, taking her blade with her to work to hit the park afterwards, although at this point, she chose somewhat secluded spots in order to not unwittingly draw a crowd again. _I'll be on the spot enough come Saturday._

She had yet to catch so much as a glimpse of Simon's individual performance; considering that he had gone for _impressive _in their shared demonstration, she was beyond curious whether his showing would be anything like the patterns she had witnessed – she was rather certain at this point that, given appropriate space and a lack of desire to hold back, he was capable of far more. Unfortunately, he apparently made sure to not be in the middle of practicing whatever he had planned when she was scheduled to arrive, as he was usually amusing himself with drawing practice even when his feathered companion reacted to her ringing the doorbell.

_I guess I just have to wait until the festival. Tease._

Finally, Friday arrived – the last day of practice before the big day. This morning, Jinxie Tenma had called the Wright Anything Agency, telling them that rooms had been reserved for all of them in one of the touristy village's traditional _ryokan_. Athena was stoked – she had never stayed in a _tatami _room and slept on a traditional Japanese style futon. She dimly recalled her mother lamenting the fact that their dwelling at the Space Center could not be refitted for such an arrangement to Simon and Aura, and it seemed like a great opportunity to learn about the appeal.

When Athena arrived at his apartment that evening, she was beginning to feel the preliminary stages of a hint of stage fright. Her initial mortification while standing in court, although primarily born from the traumatic experience of finding her voice ignored during Simon's trial, was also at least somewhat grounded in her sheltered upbringing, and even though she had by now become accustomed to her duties as a defense attorney, a public performance intended to entertain was another thing altogether.

_Calm down – you can exercise through your own pattern in your sleep, you haven't had any problems in your shared performance recently, and Simon's gonna be there with you._

He read her nervosity the moment he laid eyes on her.

A few minutes later, the question came. "Is something bothering you?"

Athena smiled self-consciously over her shoulder while Simon fastened her armor, his own already in place.

"Just a touch of nerves, is all. Maybe I should've asked Trucy for tips on how to deal with that kind of thing – she performs in front of an audience almost every weekend. Then again, she's part of a showbiz dynasty – she's probably never been nervous about being put on the spot…"

He stilled in his movements for a moment. "You will do splendidly. I have absolutely no doubt about that."

The corresponding confidence in his heart was somewhat reassuring.

"There you are. Now, take position and show me what you can do."

Simon took a few steps back, assuming his starting stance. When their gazes met as they usually did, scrutinizing each other as though preparing for actual battle, Athena began to calm as she felt her body signaling its readiness to her.

_He's right. I can do this._

The next moment, they were off, the vicious sound of steel meeting steel reverberating off the walls. Their mock battle was approximately five minutes long if performed at their current speed – long enough for a few daring-looking moves, but not too long to overstay its welcome. Athena threw herself into one of the middle sections in which she was on the attack, slicing and thrusting at his sides, his thighs, even his face, knowing that he would effortlessly parry and deflect. Joy slowly began to replace her nerves at the realization that they would be magnificent tomorrow – for her mother, for themselves, and for each other. At this thought, a low, throaty sort of laugh, one that she had not known had been in her, wrought its way out of her mouth, just as she swung her blade at Simon again.

He was not where he should be. Somehow, her unusual utterance had managed to break his concentration. As if in slow motion, Athena saw herself approaching the tip of his blade, which currently pointed at her thigh, saw her own moving towards his upper arm –

_Scheiße! Abort, abort NOW!_

She turned sharply, altering the blade path just enough that her weapon missed him, but overbalanced and was now falling toward Simon's sword, her own sent flying as she felt the soles of her feet losing contact with the ground, The next moment, she heard a sharp _thwack _as his _katana _bored itself into the nearby drywall after he had flung it out of her way with considerable force at the last moment, and tried holding on to him in an attempt to break her fall. Unfortunately, Simon was still recovering from the motion of the throw, and when she blindly grabbed for his arm, missed, and only managed to claw into the sleeve of his _gi, _he was in turn unbalanced by her momentum. She could feel him reaching for her, curling up slightly around her and bracing himself a split second before they hit the hardwood floor, the impact knocking the air out of them.

Athena had landed on top of Simon – not that _that_ had afforded her a lot of cushioning. Pushing herself up from where her cheek had uncomfortably scraped against the fortunately rounded edges of the armor scales on his shoulder, she moved backward slightly in preparation to rise off of him, when…

Oh.

_Oh._

The _hakama _they were wearing for practice were by their very nature wide and bulky-looking, and apparently had been concealing something she certainly had not expected.

Simon was hard, and his erection was currently insistently pressing up against the juncture of her legs, now that she had unwittingly pulled back toward it.

She could hear his breath hitch.

Lifting her head a little more to get a look at his face, Athena found that he refused to look at her, even though her additional movement once again caused her to brush against his rigid length through multiple layers of cloth, the friction enough to force his breath out of him in a rush through parted lips.

Feeling every one of his reactions underneath her, thinking became impossible.

Athena repositioned herself slightly, the concealed hardness coming to a rest against her likewise covered center. Then, she slowly and deliberately moved against it, releasing a shuddering sigh of her own alongside his. Now, he was staring at her, eyes filled with a mixture of arousal and confusion. She found herself wanting to kiss him, but, considering their difference in height, was not quite able to do so without scooting up, thereby relinquishing the delicious contact below. Instead, she repeated her movement, pressing herself against him a little harder this time. His eyelids fluttered shut, his chest rising towards her in a sharp intake of breath. Again. A low hum in his throat at the end of his exhalation, the voice of his heart speaking of sudden, urgent need, causing her to emit a quiet whimper. Again. She could feel his hips jerk upwards against her ever so slightly, sending a pleasurable shock through her. Again. And again. And _again._

The sound of their heavy breathing filled the silent room as Athena continued writhing against him, the friction too much and yet not quite enough. She reached between them, her hand moving to press against the front of her _hakama _to further tease her way towards her peak, her knuckles brushing over his erection at the same time. Simon ground out a strangled grunt, his hands, which had so far remained still at his sides, spasmodically balling into fists, his head tilting back to expose his throat to her view.

With a moan, Athena began moving her fingers at a rapid pace alongside her undulating hip motions. So close… _so close…_

Suddenly, her wrist was trapped into immovability between their bodies when he arched off the floor, the scales of his armor grinding into hers with a scraping sound, which was nevertheless not loud enough to drown out his groan. The bulge in his pants strained against the back of her hand hard for a long moment, and even all the cloth between them did not conceal the way his length twitched as he found his release. Athena's fingers crooked into the fabric of her _hakama_, and finally, the pressure was enough.

"A-ah…!"

She felt him slump back to the floor underneath her just as her own muscles decided that further movement was unnecessary, and Athena relaxed bonelessly against him for an instant of exhausted satisfaction.

Then, her higher thought processes returned.

Simon had not said a word. He had not so much as lifted his hands to touch or hold her as she had brought them off. He had barely even moved against her until his urges compelled him to do so. Oh, she had not received any hints from his heart that he had _not _wanted this, but if he had been as overwhelmed by the moment as she had been, that fact did not count for much.

Who knew what she had just done to their friendship?

Athena lifted her head to look at him and found her own uncertainty mirrored in his eyes. Once he noticed her attention, Simon licked his lips, a gesture of uncharacteristic nervousness.

"I…"

He broke off, clearly at a loss for words.

She felt herself blushing a fiery red all the way up to her hairline. "I, um, I'll leave for now, I'll see you in Nine-Tails Vale tomorrow, have a good evening, bye!"

Hastily scrambling off of him, she barely remembered to reach for her bag and the sword on the ground, completely forgetting about the fact that she was still in armor before high-tailing it out of his presence.


	21. Chapter 21

Too wound up to wait patiently at the bus stop at the moment, Athena kept walking past it at a rapid pace, her thoughts a tangled mess.

_You just couldn't stop yourself oh god what the hell is he gonna think of you now that you've spontaneously decided to rub yourself all over him the moment you caught him with a hard-on underneath you the right thing to do would've been to apologize and overlook it or at least _ask _if he wanted to try something on before you got him off you stupid, _stupid _woman…_

Her hands fumbled in her bag for her phone, selecting a familiar number from her saved contacts.

A moment later, the dial tone was interrupted by someone picking up.

_"Hello, Athena? You're out of practice early tonight."_

"Apollo…! I… I mean he… I mean _we_... dammit…"

Her colleague was immediately all ears when he heard the confused jumble of pronouns she threw at him. Without even bothering to ask what had transpired, he inquired, _"Where are you right now?"_

Athena stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath, and looked around. Where _was _she, anyway?

Noticing the familiar roof of the courthouse peeking across the flat tops of the residential buildings in the distance, she answered, "Near court…"

Apollo's response was firm. _"Here's what we're gonna do: I'm gonna get on my bike, and we'll meet at the diner across the road from the courthouse. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Okay?"_

Her gratefulness cut through her confusion for a moment. "Okay… thanks…"

_"Don't mention it. See you there!"_

* * *

Meanwhile, Simon had just re-emerged from the bathroom, where he had cleansed himself of the evidence their recent actions had left behind while attempting to sort through his thoughts. Unsurprisingly, he had failed.

Recently, he had arrived at resigned acceptance of the fact that he was usually at half-mast by the middle of their routine. While obviously not something he had intended to ever share with Athena, this state was concealed easily enough and did not pose an impediment to his movements, given appropriate undergarments. He had thought that he would just have to put up with it until after the festival performance, when he would be once more at leisure to up the ante to keep her on her toes, causing her sinuous movements to again falter at times and forcing him to focus on assisting her.

However, tonight, she had caught him completely off-guard. A moment before she had lunged at him, her laughter had been dark and almost sultry, filled with satisfaction at her own aggression, ringing with self-confidence. He had been so confounded by that sound, by the hint of sudden _playfulness_ in her gaze, that he had all but forgotten to react, distracted by a flash of sudden arousal. His split second of hesitation had almost proved fatal – her strike had approached with enough force that her _katana _might have come close to severing his arm, and he had found himself incapable of lifting his own blade to block without slicing deeply into her hip due to his faulty angle.

Fortunately, she had reacted quickly, her turn enabling him to launch his weapon out of the way even as her own flew off in the opposite direction. As they had both lost their balance, his only thought had been to keep her from being harmed, either due to being crushed by him landing on top of her, or due to the unfortunate angle of her fall leading to a head injury. The safest way to prevent either possibility had been to maneuver himself underneath her at the last moment.

The impact had knocked his grip on her loose, and for a few seconds, he had been stunned, both by the physical blow and by the remorse at having almost caused an accident nowhere near as innocuous as their mishap a few weeks ago. Regrettably, recalling the instant of his distraction had also brought the memory of her laughter with it, and it, in conjunction with her body being pressed against him, had finally presented him with a situation in which concealing his physical response from her had been impossible.

When she had brushed against his erection, her eyes had widened in something resembling shock, and he had averted his gaze in embarrassment, trying to come up with an apology even as his body had reacted to the sinfully pleasurable contact. _I didn't mean for this to happen, please disregard it_, he had meant to say just as she had moved _again_, instead forcing him to sharply exhale.

For a moment, the friction against his groin had ceased when she had lifted her lower body, all the while not saying a word, and he had been sure that she would leave, confused and appalled at her friend's inappropriate reaction to her closeness.

Then, the weight had returned, more focused, more deliberate, and she had begun to grind herself against him.

_She wants this? Impossible! _He had not been able to believe it after all of her signals to the contrary, but he had also been incapable of inquiry as he had rapidly succumbed to the sensations her movements had caused in him. Simon had only just been able to suppress the urge to grasp her tightly, to frantically rut against her in order to speed along his orgasm, to flip them over and descend on her, fearing that any action on his part would startle her out of whatever trance had possessed her to start this.

It had been selfish. He should have said, should have done _something_, but he had not wanted to risk her coming to her senses and stopping. At least her utterances had let him know that, in the heat of the moment, she _had _been enjoying herself, as well, particularly once she had begun touching herself through her _hakama_…

Simon swallowed hard at the memory and physically shook his head in an attempt to push it aside as he crouched next to his _katana, _which was still stuck in the wall. He carefully pried the blade loose and checked it for damage, but found no dents or nicks in the steel.

Of course, _then_, after it had been over, he had found himself tongue-tied. What had he been supposed to say?

_I did not expect this? _Inane, if true. _I apologize? _Incredibly easy to misunderstand, particularly after the fact, and he was not entirely sure that it would have come out with sincerity. _Would you like to try again somewhere more comfortable? _Far too aggressive, given her confused look when she had returned to her senses. _Thank you? _Obsequious and indicative of the suspicion of just having been on the receiving end of a pity-fuck – well, pity-frot. _I love you? _Incongruent with the situation, perhaps not even something she wanted to hear, and… _was_ that what he felt towards her?

In any case, now that she had fled his presence, he was left with the conundrum of how to approach her come tomorrow, particularly as they would be surrounded by outsiders, including her associates.

_Splendid timing for letting your dick overrule your brain, Blackquill. Just bloody fantastic._

Not only that, harboring fantasies about her had been an unsettling factor in their friendship, but had not proved to be an insurmountable obstacle. _This_, however – letting this come to pass meant things _were_ going to change between them, one way or another.

_Graaaaargh, you imbecilic _fool!

Irate with himself, Simon resheathed his sword, changed into street clothes, and stalked out of his apartment. Perhaps a stroll would clear his head and enable him to come up with a course of action.

* * *

Walking to the courthouse took longer than Athena had anticipated; by the time she finally arrived at the diner Apollo had suggested for their meeting, he was already there, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him.

She plopped down on the chair next to him at the counter; a moment later, her forehead connected with the surface in front of her with a dull _thunk_, her fingers in her hair as though she could somehow reach into her skull and hold on to her sanity.

"I'm a complete moron!"

Even though her dramatic entrance had caused the relatively few other patrons to eye her, particularly since she was still dressed in her training garb, complete with armor, and had a sword belted to her side, Apollo seemed undaunted. Without even raising an eyebrow, he shoved his coffee over to her.

"Here. Have a sip, take a breath, and then tell me what's going on from the beginning."

A sniff told her that the beverage had a generous shot of whiskey in it, and for a moment, she almost giggled. _Nerve restorative._

"I didn't know they served something like that here."

Apollo shrugged. "It helps if you've defended the owner in court before. Go ahead."

Although whiskey was generally not her poison, Athena accepted the renewed invitation and drank. Apparently, the other diner guests had by now decided that she was not going to go on a rampage with that sword of hers, as they once more turned to their own plates and cups.

Eventually, she pushed the cup back towards her associate, still unsure of how to begin.

Apollo sighed after another few seconds of silence. "I'm not gonna force you to say anything, but… you apparently _ran _from his place a short time into your practice session, and all I got from you on the phone was that _something _happened involving both you and him. That's pretty dramatic, and I'm pretty worried at the moment, although I assume that you didn't run him through or something, or you'd be on your way to the hospital. Care to share at least the basics?"

Athena felt herself blushing furiously yet again as her memory presented her with a succession of images of Simon underneath her.

"I… uh… accidentally fell on top of him… and things kinda went from there…"

Her associate stared at her for a long moment, then reached for his cup. "I might have to order another one of these for _that _conversation."

He took a long drag of the spiked coffee, shook himself slightly, and inquired, "Let me get this straight: You had sex with him?"

She shook her head. "No, um, we didn't get undressed or anything, but…"

Apollo made a face before filling the renewed silence between them. "I can't believe I'm asking for more information here, but… I assume that, whatever you _were _doing, someone happened to get off on it?"

Athena just nodded.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Right. Okay. Now, I know you've been telling me that you guys were _just friends _from the beginning, but I have to admit that I _did _have the feeling that something like this might happen for a while now – and if I understand everything correctly so far, he did not exactly try to stop things, either. What made you leave?"

Athena gulped down the remainder of the whiskey-laced coffee, and Apollo silently signaled for another before turning back toward her expectantly.

She started hesitantly, but then could not stop her rambling explanation.

"Until today, I thought I _knew_ that he wasn't interested in me, but when I was about to get back up, I noticed that he was, uh, _excited_, if you know what I mean, and then I started things because my brain just kind of shut down and when we were both finished I realized that he never said anything or touched me all the way through as though he wasn't sure how to react even though he was obviously into it and now I think I've ruined our friendship because he didn't know what to say to me afterwards and I couldn't face him anymore so I left..."

"Oh dear." Apollo grimaced in sympathy. "I wish I could tell you what to do, but considering who we're talking about here, I got nothing…"

His arm settled on her shoulders, pulling her close in an offer of comfort, and she began sobbing quietly into the red material of his vest, unaware that they had just gained a spectator.

* * *

Hood of his sweater pulled down all the way to his brow in order to hide the distinctive white lock of hair, something that had become a habit whenever he left home for a reason not related to his work, Simon aimlessly walked the streets, hands in his pockets and thoughts still relentlessly revolving around the current mess.

He could call or text Athena, but still was uncertain how to address what had happened between them. Hell, he was not even sure what he _wanted _at this point – a continuation of their prior friendship? More? Was it even possible to return to what they had shared before this? And what exactly did _she _want out of their relationship?

_Confound it, woman – why did you have to turn tail on me like that?_

He was passing the courthouse, lost in thought, when he caught a glimpse at red hair and the familiar gray bulk of _hakama _through a window from the corner of his eye.

Turning to get a closer look, he saw that he had not been mistaken: It _was _Athena, and she was not alone. In fact, at the moment, she was crying on Justice's shoulder.

An irrational pang of jealousy, paired with anger at himself, welled up inside him.

_She had to call on someone else for commiseration because you couldn't keep yourself under control. Well done, Blackquill._

He knew exactly that she did not have some sort of fling going on with her colleague, or it would have sooner or later surfaced in their conversations – while Simon had to admit that he had obviously misread her when it came to his own person, he doubted that she would have bothered to hide something like this from him. Furthermore, she would have hardly decided to spend the majority of her evenings in his presence in that case, let alone initiate what had happened between them just now.

However, currently it felt as though Justice was usurping his role, as juvenile as that sounded even to himself.

_I made you cry. I should be the one to comfort you._

Would she even accept comfort from him, seeing that she was distressed enough to be in tears due to what they had done?

He contemplated entering the establishment for a moment, but Justice's presence ultimately deterred him – discussing what had happened would be complicated enough without a third party in attendance.

Simon turned away and continued walking.

Tomorrow. He had given his word that he would perform alongside her, and he had no intention of going back on it, even if the thought was tempting given the inevitable awkwardness. For tonight, giving her space was probably the wisest approach.


	22. Chapter 22

When the day of the Nine-Tails Vale festival dawned, Athena had not slept particularly well. As a result, she was more than a little surly by the time she joined the other members of the Wright Anything Agency on the station platform for their trip to the little mountain village, already dressed in her training gear. Her sword in its velvet bag poked out of the zipper of her backpack, which also contained her armor and a change of clothes.

Simon had not attempted to contact her since she had left his apartment the night before, and she found herself concerned that he would call the whole thing off in light of what had occurred between them, particularly since they had planned to work out their travel itinerary at the end of the evening yesterday. To be honest, his continued silence irked her. _Why do I always have to be the one in this relationship to draw things out of him? Why can't he for once just _tell _me what he thinks, what he _wants…?

While she was aware that his taciturnity had had very good reasons more often than not, giving in to this line of thinking and the resulting irritation managed to distract her from the disconcerting fact that matters between them remained unresolved, and that her hasty withdrawal had hardly helped in that regard.

Trucy, who was wheeling a surprisingly heavy-looking trunk around in front of her, took one look at the downturned corners of her mouth and remarked, "Ah, he's finally gotten around to teaching you the 'serious samurai' look…"

Athena's expression darkened further, and Apollo decided to translate after one look at her.

"Ixnay on the Ackquillblay for now, Trucy."

Mr. Wright, today in hoodie, jeans, and his beloved PAPA hat, raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not going to ask about what happened, but… does that mean you're performing by yourself, Athena?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea." _Although, if he doesn't show up without so much as a peep of warning, he's gonna _get _it after we get back. He promised he'd do it – for Mom._

Her boss chose to let the matter go. "Well, we'll be there to cheer you on."

At that point, the train arrived.

* * *

About an hour later, Athena was sauntering down Yokai Lane with the others, her spirits slowly beginning to lift. Today's weather was beautiful, and the festive spirit was everywhere: Visitors and villagers alike wore colorful _kimono _and _yukata_, little street stalls sold traditional Japanese festival foods such as _taiyaki_ and _dango_, and everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. She would have expected a few more people in the streets, but then recalled Jinxie's words regarding the loss of Nine-Tails Vale's 'mystery.'

_People are idiots. The whole yokai thing was cool and all, but this is such a nice place even without the gimmick. Mom would've liked it. Who knows, maybe she even came here before the craze made this town popular…_

Ahead of them, Mayor Tenma, who was currently also serving as the interim alderman of the village, stuck out of the relatively thin crowd, beckoning them to come closer. They only saw Mr. Filch once they had walked up to the impressive wrestler, and Athena, knowing the little man's proclivities, made sure to keep a certain amount of distance from him. At least she had left Widget at home, but… _If he tries to filch my blade, there'll be hell to pay._

"Welcome, friends!" Tenma boomed; while his visage had not lost any of its intimidating quality, he was apparently trying hard to project something resembling joviality. "Let me thank you once more for being so willing to participate in our festivities, and guide you to your inn. We have scheduled Miss Trucy for two in the afternoon, and the sword performance for three. Ah… but you seem to be missing someone…"

With a tight smile, Athena informed him, "He'll be along."

_You better not make a liar out of me._

Tenma nodded. "In that case… you wait here for our final guest, Phineas. I'm sure you still recall Prosecutor Blackquill…?"

Athena almost had to laugh when the thieving caretaker gulped. "I do, at that. Hard to forget, don't you know."

The little group followed Jinxie's father to a small, one-story building featuring a thatched roof and bamboo blinds rolled halfway down over the windows in order to ward off the glare of the midday sun. Inside, it was fairly dark as the sliding doors to all rooms were closed, leaving only a narrow corridor running lengthwise through the middle of the house.

"The innkeeper will be out until tomorrow morning, when she will prepare breakfast for you, but she asked me to tell you to feel right at home," their host advised. He pointed out the bathing facilities, toilets and dining room to them, the latter kept behind slightly larger doors, and then led each of them to their rooms.

After Athena had dropped her backpack into a corner of her room, which featured the fragrant _tatami _flooring, a low table and a seating cushion, she raised the blinds to take a look out of the window. For a moment, she delighted in the scenery of flooded small rice paddies and the houses of Yokai Lane a few hundred yards in the distance, offset by a backdrop of rolling green hills. _I wonder whether it looks like that in Japan, too._

Turning away from the vista, she inspected the bundled-up futon in the corner, experimentally spreading it out on the floor, and felt a bit of her adventurous spirit returning. _Sleeping on this… it's gonna be a bit like camping._

As the walls of this place were quite thin, she was easily able to hear sounds from the room to the right of hers, where Trucy was squealing over the koipond next to her window. Until now, the room on the other side had remained silent, but when the sound of the sliding door being pulled aside reached her ears, she listened up.

"…You'd best not try making long fingers anywhere on these premises, Tanuki. My memory is not so short that I will forget about indicting you by the time I return to work."

"Yes sir, Mr. Blackquill, sir!"

"As long as we understand each other. Now scram."

The door was shut again rather hastily, and Filch's steps moved back towards the entrance at a hurry.

_So he's here._

At any other time, the thought would have been reassuring, but today, Athena realized with returning irritation, she would have almost preferred him _not _honoring his promise, no matter the mental threats she had issued earlier. Then, she could have continued stewing over his absence in peace, rather than suddenly having to wonder about how to interact with him.

_And to think that all of this started with trying to understand you, Mom… how'd it all suddenly get so complicated?_

Her ire ratcheted up another notch, although she refused to acknowledge that it was directed at her own insecurity rather than Simon. _Well, I'm not gonna sit here and hide. Always be prepared, girl._

She shoved the wooden sliding door aside – and as her luck would have it, he had had the exact same idea at the exact same time.

Like her, Simon was already clothed in his practice attire, sans armor, although he had not yet fastened his _saya _to his _hakama_, either. He had chosen to wear his surcoat today in a defiant bid to clearly identify himself to the public, the garment contributing to his warrior-esque appearance.

For a moment, they wordlessly sized each other up; when he failed to utter so much as a greeting after a few seconds, Athena's eyes narrowed slightly. _What's up, Simon? Cat got your tongue?_

He seemed to be on the verge of finally saying something when the door of Trucy's room opened.

"Hey Athena, does this yu… yuta… anyway, this robe look good on me? Oh, hello Prosecutor Blackquill…"

Simon inclined his head in greeting. "Wright-dono…"

His heart emitted a hint of relief – probably at the welcome distraction from having to talk to _her_. The thought stung.

The young magician twirled in the robe, which seemed rather odd when worn in conjunction with her blue top hat.

"So, what d'you think?"

Athena noticed with no small surprise that Trucy had now directed her question at Simon.

He smirked, albeit not unkindly. "Hn. The combination of traditional Japanese flair and circus chic is certainly interesting."

The girl grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment. You're looking pretty impressive, by the way – I can't wait to see the show later!"

She paused for a moment, then winked. "We've heard the legends, so to speak."

Simon crossed his arms, his gaze flickering over to Athena for an instant before he answered. "Exaggerations, and hardly as fascinating as a magic performance featuring… mysterious underwear, was it?"

"Oh, you mean my magic panties?" Trucy pulled the blue pair of frilled bloomers with the pink heart pattern out of her pocket, and promptly shook three white doves out of it, which frantically flapped their wings as they tried to find a way out of the narrow corridor.

"Oops, I completely forgot about these guys…"

Behind them, another door opened.

"Ah, Prosecutor Blackquill. Excuse my daughter's enthusiasm."

One of the doves had settled on Simon's shoulder, and he reached up almost reflexively to give it a scratch next to its beak. The animal cooed quietly. Considering that he usually carried a much larger bird around with him, who would probably have these poor things for lunch if he got a chance, this display made for an amusingly incongruent image, particularly since his martial appearance in the combination of _hakama_, _gi_, and _jinbaori _clashed with the traditional symbol of peace. Athena almost smiled. Almost.

"No need for apologies, Wright-dono."

And of course, her boss found it necessary to steer towards the topic of their planned performance, as well. "We were very impressed when we saw Athena practicing in the park a few weeks ago, and she assured us that her display was nothing compared to your skills – needless to say, we have high expectations…"

Simon cleared his throat as he dropped his hand. "I will do my best not to disappoint, then."

Another sideways glance at Athena.

Suddenly, she had enough of the small talk. "Well, you guys can stand around here chit-chatting, I'm gonna go out there and have fun. Later!"

With those words, she walked past Simon, head held high. While she was not looking directly at him, she caught his eyes narrowing the slightest bit at her as she passed, and even though she knew it was childish, the minute expression of mingled exasperation and worry bolstered her spirits.

_If you wanna talk to me, do it. I'm not gonna be the one coming to you this time._

* * *

Simon watched her go, her aggressively nonchalant behavior equal parts worrisome, puzzling, and, to be honest, somewhat irritating.

_Did Justice advise you last night for some unfathomable reason to play the petulant child upon encountering me today? This is beneath you, Athena, even if you are upset with me. What is this going to accomplish?_

He redirected his gaze to Wright, who now looked sheepish. "Well, that was a little rude… we gathered that you've hit a spot of trouble sometime in the last few days, I don't suppose we could in some way be of assis- ?"

Simon affected his haughtiest expression as he interrupted the offer. "This matter is between me and her, and will be addressed in due course."

Unexpectedly, Wright became serious in an instant. "See to it that it is. I'm not excessively fond of seeing my junior associates in the dumps, and considering her response to _recent events_…"

Simon could not entirely keep from cringing slightly at what was obviously an oblique reference to March 24.

_Well played, Wright, if below the belt. _

He recovered immediately, although he noticed the man's daughter eyeing him curiously.

"Hmph. You have my word."

As this conversation was now on the verge of becoming cumbersome, he nodded sharply and turned to leave, the dove finally deciding to leave its perch on his shoulder.

Just at that moment, a sliding door to his side opened, and Justice nearly bumped into him.

When he remembered that Athena had very likely filled her associate in on the events of last night, Simon found to his surprise that heat was beginning to gather in his cheeks – it seemed that he had not entirely lost the unfortunate ability to blush.

However, the memory of seeing them in the diner also refueled his admittedly unreasonable ire at Justice for taking his place in consoling her, paired with anger at her colleague presumably having counseled her into her current passive-aggressive behavior. His embarrassment at the defense attorney's probable knowledge of their impromptu sexual escapade only aggravated the sudden spark of hostility. He speared the younger man with a glare.

_Know your place. Meddle in our affairs, and I will make you regret it._

Justice all but jumped backwards.

Wordlessly, Simon strode toward the exit.

* * *

Watching Blackquill turn the corner by the entrance door and hearing his footsteps moving away from the building, Phoenix directed his attention towards his junior associate, who looked as though the tall prosecutor had just physically struck him.

"What was that all about, Apollo? I thought he'd been warming up to you when you met him at court…?"

The younger attorney swallowed hard. "I'm not sure but… somehow, I have a feeling that he knows that _I _know what's going on. See, Athena called me last night, and… well, I can't talk about it, or one of the two is probably going to give me a haircut that ends in me trying to shout 'Objection' out of my neck stump."

Then, he blanched. "Oh _damn_, and _if _he knows, he must've _seen _us. I gotta find Athena!"

And gone he was.

Now completely at a loss, Phoenix turned to his daughter. "What are those crazy kids up to now…?"

Trucy shrugged. "No clue, daddy."

Then, impossibly enough, she grinned. "But as tense they all are, this might get _interesting_ in short order."

He shook his head at her with a smile. "Trust you to revel in whatever chaos might be breaking loose around here at any moment, what with all those tempers running high. Until then, let's go and enjoy the end times, kiddo."


	23. Chapter 23

Athena was promenading along the main stretch of the village, trying to enjoy the festival while pointedly _not _thinking about Simon, when she spotted Apollo jogging in her direction; he seemed unsettled.

_Something tells me I don't wanna know…_

"Hey, d'you want a _konpeito_? They're just sugar, but somehow, I can't stop eating them!"

Her attempt to derail him from disclosing whatever had made him seek her out failed.

"Athena, Blackquill saw us last night at the diner."

She stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Apollo looked around to make sure that the person they were discussing was not about to materialize next to them out of thin air before he explained.

"What I mean is, when I just left my room and he noticed me… well, let's just say, if looks could kill, I'd be dead as a doornail. At first, I didn't know what to make of it, but… if you think about it, it's the only thing that makes sense. He didn't sound angry to me while he was talking with the others in the hallway for the most part, and he wouldn't have had a reason to suddenly stare me down otherwise."

He paused. "I think he might be jealous. He certainly set my bracelet off something fierce, as tense as he suddenly got the moment he saw me."

Athena's eyebrows drew together. "If that's what happened… _ugh_, the _idiot_…"

_Did he tail me or something? And if he did, why the heck is he now jumping to conclusions about poor Apollo instead of just _asking?

Apollo's reaction to her outburst surprised her. "Athena, what is going on?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

Her associate sighed. "I remember what you told me last night pretty vividly, as much as I'd like to _try _to forget about it. After what happened… You were confused, and from what you said, he was, too. Today, you're angry at him, and I kind of don't get _why._"

"Because I'm always the one who has to get him to say _anything_!" Athena blurted out.

Apollo just looked at her for a moment, then lifted his index finger to his forehead in thought.

"But you've always been so happy whenever you've managed so far… and I doubt he'd even consider opening up for anyone else. Don't you think that's worth the effort?"

Athena shot him a puzzled look. _He just gave you the stink-eye, and you're pleading his case?_

Her colleague managed to guess at what she was thinking. "What he thinks of _me_ isn't the issue – looks _don't _kill, after all. It's just... as close as you two were before last night, it'd be sad to see you falling apart now. But then again, that's your decision to make."

And with those words, he left her to her thoughts, the implication clear. _Psychologist, counsel thyself._

Athena sighed. _You're right, Apollo. But…what am I supposed to do? We were friends. What are we now? What do I _want _us to be? And what does _he _want?_

On one hand, she wished their unplanned incident had never occurred, allowing them to return to the tight platonic bond they had shared. On the other, the physical draw had been there for a while, at least in her case, and what had happened last night had been –

_friction heat gasps his exposed throat him coming undone underneath_

– ridiculously hot, even though not a piece of clothing had come off. Still, was the sexual appeal enough to take things further, away from the stability of close friendship? Was that even all that had provided the driving force behind what had happened? And if it was not, was she willing to take the risk change would bring with it, the risk of it all tumbling down if one or both of them realized that this was not what they wanted, after all?

_I know I'm attracted to him. I know I want to be there for him, no matter what. But…do I love him?_

Oh, she had a feeling Apollo had been thinking so for a while, despite her protestations to the contrary, but considering the complexity of her relationship with Simon, Athena knew that the answer was not as simple as all that. Saving him had been her goal for so long, he had been through so much for her… could she be sure that she was not mistaking the emotions born from their odd history together for something else?

* * *

Walking up to the grounds of the Alderman Manor in order to survey the performance space, where the Wright girl was currently in the process of setting up for her show, Simon had unobtrusively placed a useful item he had spotted nearby within the lines of the demarcated area in preparation for his own set.

Afterwards, he returned to the main thoroughfare of the village. Not entirely sure what to do with himself in the festive setting, particularly since he noticed a number of uncertain glances in his direction, he entered a small tea shop, which, unsurprisingly given the myriad stalls selling food and drink outside, was devoid of customers.

An elderly woman, who seemed refreshingly unintimidated by him, took his order, and brought a bowl of _matcha _and _wagashi_ on a lacquered tray a few minutes later. He had not partaken in these treats since the last time he had encountered Metis Cykes alive, and recalled their quiet conversation as they had watched Athena picking flowers with her friend Juniper in the distance through the window.

* * *

_"I envy you sometimes, Simon," she said while lifting her tea bowl to her lips._

_He was surprised. "In what regard?"_

_Dr. Cykes sighed. "You always seem to know how to approach my daughter, whereas I…"_

_She reached for one of the _wagashi _confections which traditionally went with the strong green tea. "I know she resents me for always being so busy, but even if I wasn't… I am not sure how to communicate with her. Perhaps I was too young when I had her. Perhaps, if Stewart was still alive… but that's neither here nor there. Isn't it strange that an analytical psychologist has difficulties relating to her own flesh and blood?"_

_Simon took a sip of his tea, unsure of how to answer. At Athena's age, he had been a quiet boy who had not been particularly attached to his parents due to their busy work schedule, which had made it easy to empathize with the somewhat withdrawn girl from the beginning of their acquaintance. On the other hand, he could hardly blame his mentor for her own regimented day, seeing that a large chunk of it was claimed by her work of attempting to channel and dampen her daughter's ability, and a good portion of the remainder was taken up by lending him a hand in his investigation and the occasional sparring session._

_Finally, he ventured to say, "I am ultimately an outsider, and it isn't my place to offer suggestions, however…"_

_"Yes?" Dr. Cykes invited, looking at him with a hopeful gaze that was heartbreaking to behold._

_Simon took a deep breath. "However, as focused as you are on enabling her to deal with her special listening ability… have you considered that sometimes, she needs to be listened _to_, as well?"_

_He had noticed that Athena generally came to _him_ rather than her mother when she wanted someone to look at a picture she had drawn, or when she wanted to discuss a problem from her home study course, which she completed in lieu of attending regular school classes most days. Perhaps she had heard "Could you show me later, sweetheart?" one too many times. Simon had tried to send her on to see Dr. Cykes instead of him more than once, but without success. _Mommy's busy, I don't wanna disturb her_, she would say, her mouth a straight line betraying neither sadness nor anger, but resignation._

_Athena's mother uttered another sigh. "You are right, of course… Athena seems to grow older so quickly as the days fly by. She has so little opportunity to socialize… and all she ever hears from me are questions about whether her headphones need adjusting."_

_She sipped on her tea bowl. "I have told her that I am working for her sake, but perhaps she is still a little young to understand… from now on, I will see about putting things aside for a moment when she comes to me."_

_Setting the traditional drinking vessel down on the tray in front of her, Dr. Cykes smiled, the expression more than a little melancholy. "I have to be honest: Before Athena took a liking to you, I was convinced that her ability to hear people's emotions estranged her from everyone as a side effect, and that her friendship with Juniper was but a fluke, since the child is such an extraordinarily quiet, gentle soul. Obviously, my hypothesis was wrong. Thank you for being there for her when I wasn't."_

_Later that afternoon, after Juniper had headed home, Athena had entered the psychology lab while Dr. Cykes and Simon had been working, a picture decorated with glued-on flower petals in hand. As it had been conveniently necessary at that point to consult with Aura next door, he had strategically withdrawn, gently prompting the girl to show her newest piece to her mother. When he had returned after fifteen minutes, far longer than he had needed to spend on the matter, the door to the psych lab had opened to admit Athena out just as he had approached the doorframe, surprise and happiness on her face. Simon had smiled and winked at her, thinking to himself that, given enough time, the little family just might be able to reconnect. _

_The following day, when Athena Cykes had ventured from their fifth floor residence to the robotics lab to show off her newest art project to her mother, she had encountered a corpse and a masked murderer._

* * *

Simon set down his tea with a sigh. It felt odd to contemplate the child Athena and her lost opportunities in light of how vastly his relationship with her had changed recently. Seven years had passed. Seven years which they had dedicated to each other, an ocean apart and with no idea as to the efforts of the other. By the time she had returned into what little had remained of his life at that juncture, she had been a completely different person, and yet, when they had finally been able to reconnect on a personal level three months ago, it had been under the aegis of Metis Cykes' memory.

_"Thank you for being there for her when I wasn't."_

He wondered momentarily if his mentor would feel that way if she could see them now, their relationship suspended in limbo due to an act that would have been unspeakable, had it occurred when she had still been alive.

_You didn't desire Athena in the least at that point. Don't be ridiculous. _The mere thought made him shudder internally.

This was ultimately the basis for their current insecurity: Being faced with the strange dichotomy of memory and reality, past and present… innocent if deep care for an ersatzsibling, fossilized in remembrance of better days during their long time apart, and burgeoning sexual attraction. They had reconnected under the premise of picking up where they had left off, a connection which had been comfortable and familiar, and the discovery that the respective other had come to regard them in a different light had occurred in a fully clothed encounter on the floor without so much as a preamble.

An encounter which, for all the awkwardness it had brought, had found him waking up last night and seeing to his urges after reliving it in a dream, allowing himself for the first time to think of her as he brought himself to completion.

Afterwards, he had lain awake with a guilty conscience as he remembered witnessing her distress, his thoughts once again beginning to revolve around the question of his feelings for her, and while he had not been able to dismiss out of hand that his drive to protect her was much the same as it had ever been, he had also found an answer of a sort within himself: He wanted to be for her whatever she wanted him to be; unfortunately, he was currently at a loss as to just what that might be.

_I don't know what you would think of me for developing an infatuation with your daughter, Dr. Cykes. Perhaps it is odd. Perhaps it shouldn't have happened, particularly not in the course of attempting to honor your memory. However, at this strange crossroads, I need your guidance. What can I do or say to bring her the happiness she deserves?_

With a renewed sigh, Simon lifted a _wagashi _to his mouth, his eyes trained on the window, watching the colorful _yukata _of the crowd moving by.

He did not turn his head when the little bell above the door of the tea shop was shaken into ringing as it opened. However, he _did _take notice when he felt the presence of someone drawing near and seating themselves at his table.

Turning to face whomever it was, Simon was dismayed to find Justice opposite him. With a sharply raised eyebrow at the unwelcome interruption of his thoughts, he remarked, "I don't recall inviting you to sit."

Despite his deliberately cutting tone, the defense attorney just shrugged. "I've been told that my manners aren't impeccable before. There's just something I wanna explain, then I'll leave you alone."

Simon's other eyebrow joined the first underneath his bangs; now, he was curious in spite of himself in the face of his impromptu conversation partner's cheek, his initial irritation at being disturbed by a person who currently was not in his good books momentarily fading into the background.

"Oh?"

Under his full scrutiny, Justice squirmed a bit, but finally brought out, "Am I right in assuming that you saw us at the diner near court last night?"

"And what of it if I did?" Simon crossed his arms. His abrasive inquiry was somewhat ruined by the fact that he _knew _there was once more a hint of color high on his cheeks.

Justice seemed not to notice just yet, as he was too busy staring at the table surface. "Um… I just… well, I wanted to let you know that I was just meeting with her as a friend…"

When Simon realized where the stammered follow-up was leading, he could not suppress a bark of laughter. "You think me simple enough to misinterpret what I saw in _that _manner?"

Athena's associate's fist suddenly landed on the table, making the lacquer tray jump half an inch.

"Right then. If you aren't in a snit because you think I'm trying to poach, what's the damn problem?"

"That would be none of your business, Justice-_dono_." The respectful suffix rang with derisive sarcasm in Simon's retort.

Justice continued unfazed. "Let me take a wild guess: It's about me barging into the situation, and promptly getting an earful of what happened hot off the presses."

Feeling his flush becoming more pronounced, Simon turned away silently, gritting his teeth.

"In that case, maybe you should know that, while I've been informed of the _circumstances _of her leaving last night, I've only been given a general outline. I freely admit that even that much wasn't any of my business, as you say. Just… don't hold it against her. When she called me, she couldn't even bring out a full sentence, she was so confused."

Simon's shoulders tensed as he growled under his breath before he could stop himself, "And you saw fit to advise petulance as an appropriate way to deal with her confusion?"

"What? _No!_" The negation was loud enough to make the window pane rattle in its frame. "I think… I think right now, it's just easier for her to sulk than to face the situation. For what it's worth, I just told her myself that that doesn't make any sense."

Surprised, Simon turned his gaze back on the younger man.

Justice never flinched, meeting his eyes purposefully, now with a small smile on his features. "I might not have the same connection to Athena that you do, but I like to think I _do _know her a bit by now. She wants to talk, she just doesn't know how to start."

A moment of silence, then a grave nod.

The defense attorney rose from his seat. "Well, I've said my piece."

The bell above the door sounded once more as he left the shop.

Simon shook his head, smiling slightly in spite of himself. _Hmph. Meddlesome whelp._

Still, Justice had a point.

_One of us has to begin this conversation, even if the right words still elude me. Perhaps there _are _no right words. However, sharp steel and confusion don't mix well. It is time._

He downed the remainder of his tea with a decisive motion, fished for a somewhat crumpled twenty-dollar-bill in his pocket which he left on the tray, and departed without waiting for change.


	24. Chapter 24

After Apollo had left her to her thoughts, Athena had wandered around for a bit, ruminating on the questions that plagued her, but ultimately had not come any closer to an answer. A glance at her cell phone for the time had eventually prompted her to proceed to the manor grounds to watch Trucy's show.

Fortunately, the young magician had outdone herself this time with her illusions, providing a welcome distraction. Athena stood next to Mr. Wright, applauding along with the remainder of the crowd, which had become rather sizable – it seemed that the Gramarye name had worked its own sort of magic.

About twenty minutes after the beginning, Apollo joined them. She wondered for a moment where he had been but had no chance to ask, as he was promptly roped into Trucy's knife-throwing routine.

Her boss laughed when her associate resignedly took his position, his back against the wooden board the girl had propped up with her trunk. "He should know by now that he's her favorite target – at least she didn't make him dress up this time…"

Athena snorted – she vividly recalled _that _night at the Wonder Bar. The protests from backstage had certainly been loud enough to inform her of the glittery nature of the costume even before Apollo had taken the stage as Trucy's "lovely assistant."

The second dagger had just bored itself into the wood next to her associate's head when she heard measured footsteps approaching and coming to a halt behind her.

_Simon. _Her uncertainty made a reappearance, rendering her incapable of so much as turning her head.

He remained quiet as he observed the young magician throwing her third, fourth, and fifth dagger. The crowd began to clap as Trucy took a jaunty bow, and he politely joined in. For a moment, she was beginning to wonder whether she had somehow mistaken someone else's presence for his when he suddenly leaned into her space.

"We should begin our preparations."

Simon's tone was carefully neutral.

For an irrational instant, Athena wished she could somehow escape, her apprehension from last night returning with a vengeance. However, she was aware that she could not avoid him forever, particularly in light of their upcoming performance, and Apollo's words from earlier reverberated in her mind. _"It's just... as close as you two were before last night, it'd be sad to see you falling apart now."_

_We have to talk, or this is all she wrote. _

She turned around to face him, giving him a hesitant nod to indicate that she had understood, and even though he said nothing more, she could see her own inner turmoil mirrored in his gaze.

Wordlessly, they turned and left the site in the direction of their inn, oblivious to the curious glances of Mr. Wright, Apollo and Trucy.

The silence between them remained along the way, remained as they walked down the corridor in the dark little building, remained as he followed her into her room and tied her _dō _for her.

Fumbling nervously with the cords of her _saya _as she fastened it to her _hakama_, Athena proceeded after him into the adjacent room.

Simon removed his surcoat as he knelt to retrieve his own armor and sheathed blade from his bag, and she had just about given up hope on hearing another word out of him when he finally murmured, "Concerning yesterday…"

Once again, the memories returned in a flash. _Breath leaving in a rush through parted lips hardness between her legs voice of the heart filled with need – _

Athena barely withstood the temptation to shake herself not unlike a dog shaking rain out of its fur as she forced the images from her mind.

_Say _something_, girl!_

"Did you follow me last night?" It seemed the safest place to start.

He still did not turn to face her as he fastened his _saya _cords to his side, but his heart, carefully guarded by silence and precisely measured words up to now, began emitting a strange mixture of amusement, sadness, and anger as he spoke up again.

"You are giving me far too much credit. I _should_ have done so, given your obvious distress when you left, but I'm afraid I was merely out on a stroll to think about… previous matters. I happened upon you by coincidence."

The emotional impressions she received from him became stronger. "Before you ask, I did _not _mistake what I saw for some sort of tryst, as Justice-dono apparently thought. He sought me out to clarify that fact a short while ago. Not that it would have been within my rights to lay claim to you in the first place."

A self-disparaging harrumph. "I have to admit that I wasn't particularly gracious in my conversation with your associate."

_He _talked _to you?_

For a moment, Athena was dumbstruck by the fact that her associate had braved an irate Simon by himself in order to help them reopen their line of communication.

_Apollo…I do nothing but come blubber to you about him recently, you get caught in the crossfire when things go pear-shaped, he ends up using you as target practice for glaring, and yet you still tried to talk sense into us two morons while I was all sulky and you thought he was gonna make you a head shorter over seeing us. _

Still, something did not make sense. "He said you seemed really angry at him earlier though…"

Simon minutely shook his head.

"My anger was misdirected for a variety of reasons. An embarrassingly juvenile impulse, as I was primarily irate with myself upon seeing you."

Now, Athena was completely lost.

"Whatever for?"

His prolonged exhale spoke of self-recrimination.

"I committed the mistake which led to yesterday's… incident. I failed to control myself repeatedly thereafter. My silence drove you to leave, having to seek solace in someone else's company."

A pause. "If you would prefer to disregard what happened…"

The voice of his heart was subdued and conflicted, and as his back was turned to her, she could not see his expression.

Athena took a hesitant step forward as she struggled to come up with an answer. _Do I?_

There were so many areas they rarely touched upon in their dealings with each other in a bid to spare the other pain – what was one more? Yes, it would remain in their minds, just as all the other matters which had come to light, but if they did not include it in their conversations… It would be so easy to take him up on his offer and go back to the way things had been if she answered in the affirmative now.

However, if she did so without even hearing his thoughts on the matter, it would be tantamount to sticking her head in the sand.

Taking a deep breath, she inquired back, "Do you?"

Another momentary silence. "I'm willing to do so, should this be your preference."

Athena shook her head even though she knew he was in no position to see it. "That's not what I asked."

Instead of answering, Simon wordlessly held the _dō _to his chest, and she automatically moved to crouch behind him, beginning to tie the armor at his back in the familiar manner. Just as she was finishing up fastening the shoulder straps to the upper cords, his quiet response finally reached her ears.

"No."

Athena's fingers stilled.

For an interminable moment, they remained at this plateau, the implications of the single syllable hanging between them.

His voice interrupted the silence once more. "You have my answer. What is yours?"

"I…"

She broke off, uncertain how to continue. Seeking reassurance in his physical closeness, she leaned forward slightly, lifting her arms to let them settle on his shoulders, her hands connecting in a loose embrace just above the upper edge of his armor stretched across his chest, her forehead touching the nape of his neck.

Feeling him exhale as he relaxed minutely into their contact, Athena forced herself to voice her doubts. "If we do this… if things change between us… what if it doesn't work out?"

_I don't want to lose you ever again. _

Simon reached up to her enfolded fingers, his thumb stroking across them gently.

"I can't promise you that we would never have our differences, obviously. However, given the adversity we have faced, I can't envision us electing to part ways over nothing more than a petty argument."

Seven long years and half a world of distance. Loss, secrets, and the ever-threatening noose. His attempts to dissuade her from her chosen path with feigned callousness in a bid to protect her to the last. A trial threatening to spell the end for either him or her. The aftermath of painful truths gradually revealed, of badly healed-over wounds reopened in the attempt to come to terms with their memories, as well as with each other.

Put like that, the thought _did _seem laughable.

When Athena felt his head moving to glance over his shoulder, she scooted back, albeit without entirely letting go of him. He turned to where their eyes could finally meet again, his gaze now steady and purposeful.

"If you would still prefer to return to the way things were between us, I will be content with that, as well. Don't feel that you have to rush into anything because of my own preferences. I will remain at your side for as long as you wish me to be."

The new warm certainty resonating in the voice of his heart, as well as his words of commitment to her, made her breath stall for a moment. Ever so slowly, she leaned closer once more, hesitantly asking, "I… can I…?"

His slightly crooked smile drew her in even as he moved toward her, unhurriedly, giving her every chance to change her mind. "You don't need permission, Athena."

She halted her approach when their noses were almost touching, their mouths about to meet, hesitantly offering her last misgiving. "But I… I just can't tell… if, if this isn't what I feel, after all… I don't wanna hurt you…"

Simon's warm breath sent a shiver through her when he whispered in response, "I am prepared to take that risk."

He closed the infinitesimal distance remaining between them.

The kiss was slow, a gentle slide of parted lips and teasing tongue, leisurely explorative. One of Athena's hands moved up from his neck into his hair, loosely threading into the slightly tousled strands, and he sighed against her mouth as two of his long fingers brushed across her cheek in response. Her eyelids sliding closed without her volition, she gave herself over to the sensation, so different from their encounter yesterday in its lack of urgency, allowing all thought to cease.

After a few long and yet far too short moments, they parted as gradually as they had connected, silently looking at each other, their faces still only inches apart.

With something resembling detachment, Athena could feel her lips forming a smile which spread wider and wider until she was grinning broadly, and then a laugh was bubbling up within her.

_After all this bellyaching and all this doubt… how does this feel so _right _all of a sudden? _The answer came easily: This whole time, she had made the mistake to assume that her feelings for him would adjust momentously in some way if she let herself take this step, that their friendship would be pushed aside and endangered by an emotion notorious for its fickle nature. Now, she realized that nothing could be further from the truth.

Simon was still her friend, her savior, the one she had wanted to save in return, her mother's student, her teacher, her opponent in sword and law. The thought should have been bizarre, but then again, _they _were, as certain people never tired of mentioning. This new facet did not displace everything he was to her, but integrated itself seamlessly into the complex tapestry of their relationship, into a gap she had not even been aware had already accommodatingly existed.

How long ago had she completely, head-over-heels fallen for him, unable to recognize the emotion for what it was, as entwined as it was with all the others?

_Damn you, Apollo. Maybe you were on to something from the start, you perceptive jerk. One of these days, I owe you dinner. Not _Eldoon's_, a proper steak dinner with so many sides that you can barely move by the time you're done eating. _The sudden random line of thought made her giggle even harder.

"Hmph. I kiss you, and you start laughing. Should I be concerned or offended?"

Simon's amused smirk was ample proof that he was not serious in the least about either option.

She lunged forward to hug him tightly, still unable to entirely contain her laughter. "Don't mind me, I'm just now getting how much of an idiot I've been."

"I don't know that I would go quite _that _far. I've had my moments, as well …"

"Oy, stop defending me!"

"As you were, then."

At this point, Simon was chuckling under his breath himself, the joy emitting from his heart almost enough to make Athena tear up a little as he held her.

_You're so happy… because of me?_

She leaned up to kiss him again, amazed at how it felt like the most natural thing in the world even in its novelty, only to be slightly disappointed when he muttered against her lips after a moment, "As enjoyable as this is, we _are_ scheduled to make a public appearance…"

"Oh, yeah…"

Reluctantly, Athena let go of him and rose, watching him as he shrugged into his _jinbaori _once more.

Once he had moved to stand as well, he stated, "At the risk of seeming calculating… perhaps we should avoid any public displays while we are here. I have spotted at least one press photographer in the manor grounds, and I'd rather not see us making the gossip columns by this time tomorrow."

She nodded her agreement without hesitation. "No sense in risking another smear campaign."

Simon leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Instead, we should use their presence for our purposes, as you originally proposed." A slightly melancholy smile. "Although I have to admit that I am not certain what your mother would think of _us_, as it were… let's discuss how to honor her memory prior to our performance on the way there."

Athena smiled back at him, confident that what she was about to say was the truth. "I don't know, somehow I have the feeling she'd be happy as long as _we _are… but yeah, that's a good idea."

Then, she let her fist smack into her open palm with a grin. "Okay, let's go and wow their pants off, tiger."

He snorted as he turned and walked out of the door ahead of her. "First 'Yoda,' now 'tiger?' I hereby revoke your permission to address me by pet names of _any _sort."

The only answer he received was a snickered, "Spoilsport."


	25. Chapter 25

Apollo and Trucy's father had aided the young magician in packing up her equipment after her show had ended, listening to the crowd chattering excitedly about the upcoming performance. It seemed that a lot of people were interested in what Blackquill would do, although the younger lawyer also noticed tension hanging in the air – while the press had recently acknowledged in passing that the intimidating prosecutor had been wronged, that bit of news apparently had not made the rounds quite as thoroughly as the prior libel.

_At least he has the means to sue now, since the evidence has officially been disclosed._

While he was under no illusion that he and Blackquill would become best friends anytime soon, particularly not after their tense encounter earlier, Apollo _did _feel for the man – it was easy to forget what he had gone through, considering his dismissive behavior most of the time, but if one happened to be the confidante of one Athena Cykes, _not _acknowledging the lengths to which he had gone to keep her safe was pretty much impossible. He might not be the most companionable guy, but he did not deserve continued suspicion. Additionally, hoping that the prosecutor would finally find some measure of closure was not only a matter of fairness, it would also lift a burden off his junior associate's mind, considering that Apollo had been able to tell how she had blamed herself for Blackquill's long stint in jail, his close brushes with death, and his damaged reputation.

Speaking, well, thinking of Blackquill… where the heck _were_ he and Athena?

Apollo checked his cell phone display; it was six minutes to three.

_I don't know what they needed to prep, but they'll probably be here soon… unless they decided to have that _talk_, at which point we may not get a performance at all, depending on how it goes_. Either because things progressed from bad to worse, or… well.

Honestly, he hoped that they would get it together, weird couple that they were. Their way of occasionally communicating without words, of anticipating the other's thoughts was enough to make anyone at least somewhat envious. Well, they _were _both trained in psychology, he supposed, but that did not fully account for the connection between the intimidating ex-inmate and the energetic young woman, particularly considering that, until this January, they had not spoken in private for the better part of a decade.

Then again, if he had learned anything about them in the last few months, it was that Blackquill's bark was decidedly worse than his bite, and that Athena was nowhere near as air-headed as she appeared sometimes. Maybe they were not as different as it looked at first glance to an outsider.

He was in the process of collecting the varicolored silk handkerchiefs which had exploded out of Trucy's hat at the very tail end of the performance, his superior crouching next to him, when they were joined by a woman whom he would recall, had he met her before: A huge cloud of auburn hair framed her head, and she had an expensive-looking camera dangling from her neck.

"Well, I'll be darned if it ain't Phoenix Wright! Been awfully quiet around you for a few years!"

Mr. Wright straightened with a smile. "Lotta Hart. Still in the investigative journalism business, I assume?"

The woman shrugged with a grin. "Reckon course! It's all freelance, but it puts the gravy on the table, if ya get my drift. So, the Gramarye girl, she yours? Didn't know ya were a long-lost circus performer."

"Yes, she's my daughter, and no, I'm not a Gramarye, myself." His superior's smile seemed to freeze ever so slightly. "It's a long story."

Apollo could almost hear what he was _not_ saying. _… and not one for you to exploit in case a slow news day comes around._

Hart made a dismissive gesture. "Bah, ya know I ain't diggin' into your business – burned my fingers a few times that way, didn't I? Nah, I'm here because of that there Blackquill fella."

She added in a stage whisper not significantly quieter than her regular speaking voice, "I heard that he's gonna pull off a show with the girl whose ma he was convicted for killin' – and since everyone's been layin' offa him since the leak a few weeks back, I figured I'd home in on the scoop!"

The reporter seemed taken aback when Mr. Wright laughed. "I'd be _very _careful what you say when it comes to the two of them – not because of Blackquill, but because of Athena. See, she's 'one of mine,' too, in a sense, and she's recently not been too fond of reporters, since they've done their hardest to drag him through the mud after he has been looking out for her…"

His superior cleared his throat and, in a flash, put on what Apollo called his 'Serious Face.'

"I was part of the trial that led to Blackquill's exoneration. In case you're wondering and haven't looked into the evidence released by the prosecutor's office, it's legit. If that's your angle, you're wasting your time."

Hart hastily waved her hands in front of her in a gesture of denial. "What are ya, crazy? I've told ya before that just because I'm from the heart of the heartland, I ain't dumb! Nah, I'm mainly here for some pictures of the guy – for one with his notoriety, he's pretty camera-shy, and since the stuffy court officials don't allow takin' photos in there…"

Mr. Wright's gaze flickered over to Apollo, who knew what he was asking and minutely shook his head. _She isn't tensing up, so she isn't lying_.

The easy smile reappeared on his superior's face. "I sincerely doubt that'll be a problem today. Incidentally… I believe your 'scoop' has just arrived."

Apollo followed his gaze to the other side of the wide lawn area, where Blackquill and Athena made their way through the crowd. It was a bit disappointing to see that their facial expressions were completely impassive, although his bracelet let him know that both of them were far less tense than they had been before.

_Hm, I can't tell if they've worked things out or not, not even from Athena – seems she has learned a bit of a pokerface from him, as well._

In the scaled cuirass underneath his surcoat and with the sword belted to the traditional Japanese-style trousers, the prosecutor looked every inch the proud samurai he purported to be. His associate, striding along beside him with purposeful steps, cut a somewhat less impressive figure next to her tall friend, but still somehow seemed surrounded by an air of danger, which was only helped along by the dark red scabbard fastened to her left side gleaming in the sunlight.

Apollo had been curious for a while what they had prepared for today, as Athena had been silent as a grave on that topic. _"You'll see when everyone else gets to see it," _she had only volunteered with a wink. And considering how she usually praised Blackquill's skill to high heaven… this should prove interesting.

He quickly finished picking up the last of the handkerchiefs alongside Mr. Wright and hurried out of the free space ringed by spectators and demarcated with white chalk lines, just as Mayor Tenma walked into the middle of the performance area.

"Friends of Nine-Tails Vale, today it is my honor to present to you a swordplay performance by Mr. Simon Blackquill and his student, Ms. Athena Cykes. Please do make sure to stay outside of the lines and keep your children close to avoid accidents, as this demonstration will be performed with real blades."

He stepped backwards while beginning to clap, and the crowd fell in line readily enough, the tension which had been in the air abating with the rise of expectation. Out of the corner of his eyes, Apollo noticed Ms. Hart readying her camera next to him, but was more interested in observing Blackquill and Athena, who just now nodded wordlessly to each other and moved forward side by side until they reached the center of the free space; they then knelt on the ground and, as one, loosened the cords which held the sword scabbards on their sides, placing the sheathed blades on top of their laps.

They remained frozen in that position until the spectators quieted down somewhat, at which point they grasped their weapons with both hands and placed them in front of themselves in the grass, which had been trimmed to within an inch of its life for the occasion, with something akin to reverence.

Silence fell when Blackquill began to speak.

"Today, we perform in honor of Dr. Metis Cykes, beloved mother and cherished mentor, whose life was lost in the pursuit of faceless evil. Her way of the blade and wise counsel guide us even today. May she never be forgotten."

Both he and Athena placed their hands on the ground, just short of the two blades which were as different as they were: one slightly longer and austerely monochromatic with its black sheath and white cords, showing its greater age in the somewhat use-worn wrappings of the handle, the other much newer and more colorful in rich red lacquer and yellowish golden cords. Apollo dimly recalled once reading something about the sword representing the soul of the warrior possessing it – seeing the weapons lying there in front of their owners, so different in appearance yet representing the same purpose, he was ready to believe that there was some merit to the idea.

Athena and Blackquill lowered their upper bodies in unison until their foreheads were close enough to the ground that their hair brushed the severely trimmed blades of grass below, solemnly bowing before their swords. The silence persisted, except for the suddenly far-too-loud staccato noise of Hart's camera shutter.

Apollo grimaced slightly at the obnoxious interruption of something that almost felt like a belated funeral rite. _Fine manners you have, lady._

After a moment, the two sword practitioners returned to their kneeling position, taking hold of their weapons once more and refastening them to their waists. Turning towards each other, facial expressions still neutral, they bowed again, not nearly as deeply, but Athena more deeply than Blackquill, to signify their relative positions as teacher and student. Then, the prosecutor rose in a fluid motion to walk to the sidelines, crossing his arms as he looked on.

Apollo's associate had risen, as well, but remained in the center of the performance area, frozen in a beginning stance with eyelids lowered, left hand closed around the scabbard of her sword, thumb resting on the hand guard.

Suddenly, her eyes flashed open, her thumb gave the guard a push, and in the next instant, the blade was in her right hand, the movement so quick that Apollo was sure he must have just spaced out for a moment. She could not possibly have drawn _this _fast, could she?

He had no time to contemplate the question as Athena began her set, the motions vaguely familiar from her practice in the park weeks ago, but now infinitely more steady and graceful, the sharp whistle and dangerous glint of the beautifully honed, razor sharp weapon in her grasp only adding to the sense that he was seeing something entirely new. Her steps were light, her lunges and swings perfectly controlled, and when she eventually dropped into a crouch with a combative outcry, thrusting the blade forward at an imaginary opponent before stilling, applause broke out.

Still unsmiling, likely out of respect for some sort of tradition associated with these arts, Apollo thought, Athena rose to stand, diagonally slashed at the air in front of her in what seemed like a customary movement, and then resheathed her blade just as he had seen in samurai movies, pulling the back of the sword across scabbard and hand before guiding the pointed tip into the opening of the lacquered sheath. Bowing to the continued ruckus of clapping, she walked away from the center of the free space, taking position in the corner where Blackquill had until now been standing. Her gaze wandered over to Hart for a moment, who seemed to have lost all interest in anything but her intended target, and when she realized that she was unobserved, she finally threw what appeared like a small wink over at Apollo, who was grateful for the reassurance.

_Atta girl, Athena. I don't know whether you've worked through everything yet, but thanks for telling me that you're okay for now._

Then, her eyes settled once more on Blackquill, who had assumed his own starting position. The applause petered out as anticipation set in once more. Apollo was struck by the fact that the prosecutor had again loosened the cords holding the blade in place, the white material wound around the sheath underneath his fingers, the scabbard firmly grasped in his left hand. His beginning form was not the wide stance from which Athena had started, but somewhat akin to a genuflection, left knee on the ground, right foot placed slightly in front of him. For a moment before the prosecutor's eyes closed in concentration, Apollo saw his gaze flickering over to a grayish rock, a little less than half a foot high and with a relatively flat surface, sitting approximately five feet away from the chalk lines demarcating the performance area, and found himself wondering whether this was going to be significant.

When Apollo looked back at Athena, her impassive façade was wavering slightly, and he recalled that she had whined multiple times over the last weeks about how her friend had been secretive about his solo performance.

_Well then, Prosecutor Blackquill. She's been singing your praises, and we're all bursting with curiosity. Since you've been holding out on her as well, I assume that this is gonna be something even _she _doesn't know you can pull off yet. Let's see it._


	26. Chapter 26

Athena had difficulties maintaining the passionless front they had agreed on for the first half of their show as they had returned to the manor grounds, both to maintain decorum in referencing her mother and to play up the realism of their mock combat demonstration, during which they would drop the façade. A smile kept trying to creep onto her features, particularly when her gaze fell upon Simon.

Thinking about it, the new development which had just occurred between them still failed to feel strange, which was strange in and of itself. Was there such a thing as only realizing one was part of a couple after the fact? She had no idea, and she did not care overly much. Now that she knew what she had to listen for in her own heart, Athena was fully aware of her feelings for him, and the fact that they already felt familiar did nothing to detract from them.

Now if only they had managed to work things out at a time _other _than immediately before a scheduled public performance…

_Ah well, no helping it. We've waited this long, what are a few more minutes?_

For now, the impending performance of his solo pattern managed to keep her thoughts from straying too far afield. Simon had been so careful hiding his preparations for this moment for weeks, and now she would finally get to see his set. But why had he unfastened his _saya _before taking position…?

Athena's eyes were glued to his back as he remained motionless, the afternoon sun highlighting the large white crest on his _jinbaori_, now unobscured by the long mane of hair he had possessed until a few months ago. Seeing him like this, facing the opposite direction, it seemed to her for a moment as if she was seeing the young man from her childhood once more, unmarred by time and hardship, the dark traces on his face and the time-bleached strands of his hair hidden from her view.

_He still is that man, though. He always will be. Only now, he's more than that to me. So much more._

She had just finished her thought when Simon began to move.

Her draw was fast by now, but his was still in no danger of being rivaled by it. Suddenly, his blade was in his hand, his body turning sideways slightly as he thrust forward while his _saya _mirrored the movement in the opposite direction, connecting with two imaginary enemies at the same time. Rising from his half-kneeling stance in a fluid motion, he feigned to his left with the scabbard while cutting a wide arc to his right so quickly that, had an opponent existed, they would have never seen him coming. The slightly lower frequency of the _saya _parting the air in conjunction with the viciously sharp whistle of his blade proper were a symphony as he continued his set, both items whirling around him in wide, powerful movements, and Athena could not help but notice that he used his left hand to guide the scabbard as efficiently and effortlessly as his sword, as if it was another weapon.

_You can dual-wield…?_

After a lightning-fast series of jabs, Simon suddenly crouched and turned, blade and scabbard slicing upwards in a spiraling motion. A murmur went through the crowd when the air disturbance he had created hit everyone standing around the performance area in spite of his being multiple feet away, the gust not as focused as the "little trick" he was so fond of employing in the courtroom and certainly not dangerous, but ample proof of the force with which he had imbued the move. Athena barely suppressed a grin when she could feel her bangs fluttering in the sudden breeze.

Rising in a wide stance, he lunged forward in a move that initially reminded her of nothing so much as a standard fencing attack until he performed a half-turn in the middle of his forward movement, one leg extending and foot digging into the turf, lifting the _saya _in a block while forcing his sword downward from overhead in a powerful blow. The ground in front of him parted in a long linein spite of the blade never making contact.

Simon reversed his grip on sword and scabbard in the blink of an eye, both now aligned along his lower arms, and slashed the air in front of him, crouching low just before taking a running start, moving forward in three fast, long steps, towards an unobtrusive rock to one side. Athena barely had time to wonder what he was up to before his right foot made contact with the flattened upper side of the stone –

He bent his knees, gathering momentum, and _jumped_, executing a backflip with his long legs half-tucked, only to perfectly land in yet another low position, left foot extended behind him. _Saya _and blade drew clipped half-circles in the air as he shifted his grip again, crossing his arms in front of his chest, before performing a final powerful slicing motion outward to both of his sides at a high enough speed that his limbs blurred into near-invisible streaks of shadow for an instant.

Just as he stilled, head bowed, shoulders still lifted and his weapon and scabbard pointing away from him to his left and right, the resulting blast of air hit the audience in front of him, causing everyone to flinch and Trucy's top hat to be blown off her head, a number of her magic props tumbling out from within. Athena could now see that the wrist of his sword arm had been turned inward ever so slightly during his move – had it not been, the hat might have been destroyed, alongside a number of people's facial features. She had seen him slice the candles he used for practice in half from afar before, and this slash had been much more forceful than those he employed at home. His precision was nothing short of astonishing.

Deafening applause erupted around her, startling her out of staring at him, only to realize that her mouth was hanging wide open.

_It's official – mi hombre es loco. __Fou. Verrückt._

It had been a while since she had experienced her last lapse of English, but now, it took her a moment to come up with the word "insane."

_And I wouldn't have you any other way._

Then she remembered that Simon had not yet resheathed, and she emerged from her thoughts just in time to see him rise as he pulled the blade up diagonally towards his shoulder – and slashed downwardin the direction of his right hip without hesitation before returning the sword to its _saya_.

Athena closed her eyes for a moment, struggling to keep her expression from being derailed into wide, joyful smile.

_Chiburi_.

Of all his feats in the last few minutes, this one was by far the most impressive, and no one but her could possibly know what it meant.

_Oh Simon… you've told me multiple times how proud Mom would be of me… but I think that right now, she would be so, so happy to see you overcome this._

For an instant, she had to fight the impulse to run up to him and kiss him right there and then, but managed to keep herself from doing so when her sensitive hearing still picked up on the clicking noise of a shutter among all the clapping, shouting and whistling.

_Dammit. Ah well, just a little bit longer, and then I'm gonna insist on some alone time._

Watching him take the customary short bow and begin to refasten the _saya _cords to his side as she once more stepped back towards the middle of the open space, Athena pushed down the flash of heated anticipation coursing through her at this thought.

* * *

Simon bit back a smirk as he moved slightly to the side in preparation for the final part of their showing, taking in the still-incredulous expressions of the audience members he had been facing during his last movement, although they did not seem to be too stunned to clap. The Wright girl was applauding particularly enthusiastically, not caring that the items which had been concealed in her hat were scattered around her feet; Justice had taken it upon himself to start picking them up, instead.

A moment later, Athena came into his field of view, and the smile in her wide eyes told him that he had managed to thoroughly surprise her in spite of the impassivity she still maintained otherwise.

_I see my preparations have paid off handsomely._

As his apartment did not feature enough space for this particular routine, he had been working on it in a clearing within the woods surrounding the Space Center, reasonably certain that no one would happen upon him there, particularly not in the later evening hours he had favored. His drawing practice prior to their meetings, although it would not have given anything away to Athena, had enabled him to experiment with exact blade angles to produce maximum audience impact with a minimum amount of danger. Perhaps it had been reckless of him to employ motions which, if not performed with utter precision, could have lead to injuries. However, he had reasoned that, in order to leave an impression, a display of power carefully tempered with restraint would probably be the best approach. It seemed that he had been correct.

Simon nodded minutely towards Athena, who came to a halt in before him. The audience fell silent again as she slid one foot backwards, lifting her unsheathed sword until she held it horizontally in front of her upper body in a defensive posture. A surprised collective gasp sounded when he took position, his own stance that of an aggressor about to strike, _tsuka _near his shoulder and blade pointed directly at her.

His gaze conveyed the by-now familiar question. _Ready?_

Hers responded immediately, although he had already surmised the answer from her stillness and her even breathing. _Ready._

Simon attacked.

* * *

Apollo barely managed to stifle a surprised outcry when he looked up from his self-appointed task of collecting Trucy's knickknacks and found his colleague and Blackquill locked in furious battle after assuming their beginning stances facing each other. The young magician next to him had lifted her hands up to her mouth – he assumed that she, like him, had expected some sort of slower paired demonstration, and the sudden tension rippling through the mass of people around him indicated that they were not alone in their astonishment.

Even more unbelievably, Athena clearly held her own, foreseeing every single one of her instructor's advances and giving as good as she got.

After the initial lightning-fast exchange of blows, both side-stepped and began circling each other, and finally, their impassive masks fell in favor of near-identical wide grins, aggressive, self-assured, and, if Apollo was honest with himself, slightly disturbing on either one of their faces, although clearly more at home on Blackquill's than on Athena's.

Apollo _did _accidentally let out a shout when the two combatants clashed again without warning and his associate took a stab at her opponent's face, who barely avoided the sword tip coming for his eye by leaning back while simultaneously swinging at her side, forcing her to block and allowing him to go back on the attack; the remainder of the audience either drew in a sharp breath or likewise called out. The noise of Hart's shutter never ceased.

* * *

The moment they abandoned their agreed-upon façade after the first trade of thrusts and parries, Athena's lips stretched with familiar combative glee, although this time, it appeared to Simon as though there was something more behind it, a satisfied possessiveness broadcasting to him, _You're mine._

Thank goodness for _hakama_.

Once he had warded off her attack at his face in the usual manner, he locked blades with her and allowed a low growl to emerge from the back of his throat, which the audience would read as an attempt at intimidation, but which _she _was highly unlikely to misunderstand.

_We will see _who_ is _whose_ when we're done here._

Her eyes widened slightly when she heard the voice of his heart, then they narrowed. After drawing in a breath rather more audibly than usual, one corner of her lips quirked up in a smirk for the merest instance. The message was unmistakable in its playful challenge.

_Oh _yes_, we _will_._

Then, the time for communication had passed since the moment had come for him to jump back – she had side-stepped to break their clinch and now sliced at him.

For now, he would have to maintain concentration and prevent his arousal from becoming acute just yet – not only would it not do to find photographs of himself with a hard-on in tomorrow's papers, he would rather not endanger what promised to occur in their near-future by risking either of them sustaining an injury before they could get that far.

* * *

Apollo was taken aback by Blackquill's feral utterance as the two blades locked near their guards for a moment, both sharp edges shaking slightly and gradually leaning towards Athena's throat due to the prosecutor's superior muscle strength as he pushed forward, but his associate was obviously in no mind to give in that easily, if her narrowed eyes were any indication. The next moment, she pulled to the side, weapons sliding off each other with a steely ring before she swung at her opponent's hip.

Face suddenly dead serious, Blackquill drew back, parried, and another impossibly quick exchange of attacks occurred.

Given the apparent change in mood, Apollo found himself slightly worried. _What just happened? Did I miss something?_

What he did _not _miss, however, was that Athena's hair, gathered in a bun as usual when she practiced, was now threatening to come loose from its hair tie at any moment.

* * *

Simon noticed the first tendrils of her long red hair escaping the usually tightly-wound hairdo she favored during swordplay for safety reasons, and signaled her to watch out by way of a minuscule head movement.

She blinked. _I know._

Not that it could be helped at this juncture, as fixing the potential problem would require them to abort their routine.

Fortunately, they were almost at the end of their feigned sparring session, and very few opportunities for her strands to get in the way still existed.

With a wide step forward, he initiated the final sequence, going for her shoulder until his blade was forced sideways by hers and she rapidly turned within his space –

Her hair came loose and flowed behind her just as Athena finished her movement, a few ends succumbing to the razor-sharp edge of his sword, but she never lost her focus as her _katana _halted a mere inch from his jugular.

She lifted an eyebrow, her now-freed tresses fluttering slightly in the breeze, her arm steady and sure, and the smallest of challenging smiles flitting across her features.

"Do you yield?"

Simon froze, aware that he was staring at her. He swallowed.

_Breathtaking._

His sword remained ineffectually in his hand for the span of another heartbeat before he let go of the _tsuka_, stating in a somewhat strained voice just as the weapon hit the ground, "I yield."

Athena's eyes widened slightly and her lips parted as she understood every shade of emotion in the two syllables, including the fact that he intended to have a rematchof an entirely different nature in a more private venue – _right now_. Applause once more washed over them, but they both completely ignored it.

Her answering gaze told him all he needed to know.

_What the hell are we waiting for? Let's go!_

She resheathed wordlessly while he ducked quickly for his _katana _and did the same, and an instant later, they were both walking to the side of the performance space, more than ready to take their leave.

"Oh my _god _that was amazing!"

"_Damn_, that looked dangerous…"

"Consider us duly impressed!"

Simon knew that it was rude to not acknowledge the comments of her associates, but still pushed past them without so much as looking at the two attorneys and the girl, uttering only a curt, "Excuse us."

Behind him, Athena mumbled at the same time, "Later."

Then, they had made it out of the throng of spectators and strode towards their inn with wide steps. Had running not been completely undignified and invited too much attention, they would have done so.


	27. Chapter 27

Apollo stared after Blackquill and Athena, now completely lost. He had thought that the two of them had come to _some _sort of agreement during their preparations, considering his associate's wink prior to the bout they had just witnessed, but then…

The tall prosecutor suddenly seguing from noticeably enjoying their battle to tense concentration, which had only increased when her hair was about to free itself from its confines. His stare at her when she had unexpectedly bested him, and the tension in his voice as he had yielded. Athena's sudden expression of fierce competitiveness when the intimidating growl had come from her opponent, and her eyes widening after he had relinquished his sword. And, of course, their hasty withdrawal.

_Maybe I misunderstood her – or maybe they just barely had time to patch things up, and _something_ happened during the fight that made it all fall apart again…_

Had it been some sort of misstep on Athena's part, the correction of which by Blackquill he had missed due to his lack of expertise? Had it been the distraction of her hair tie loosening itself due to the vigorous movements, noticed by her opponent far earlier than by Apollo? Had it been the fact that, and he could still not believe it after seeing the man's solitary performance, his associate had won? Or had it been a combination of these factors?

Be that as it may, he sensed that another confrontation was about to occur.

Apollo turned to Mr. Wright and Trucy, who both still seemed nonplussed after having been brushed off by Athena as well as the prosecutor.

"What just happened…?"

Next to his superior, Lotta Hart piped up, the quick disappearance of her target alongside his student having obviously piqued her interest. "Whoa, there some sort of argument goin' on or somethin'?"

"Doubtful. I assume they've just had enough of being in the spotlight for the moment," Mr. Wright ad-libbed, his hand on Hart's upper arm. The reporter looked at him and seemed about to launch into an argument against his assessment, but was distracted by one of Trucy's doves, which the young magician had once again deftly shaken out of her magic panties, settling on her other shoulder.

His superior minutely inclined his head, his message clear. _If you want to go check on them without this one following you, go now._

Apollo turned and left.

* * *

As they turned off Yokai Lane into the small alley between two shops which led along a few family-owned rice paddies and a pond towards the rustic little inn located somewhat off the beaten path, Athena saw Simon looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following them before he leaned over to her, warm breath almost making her jump when he whispered roughly, "I hope you realize that I won't restrain myself once we're inside. This is your only warning."

Her eyes closed for a moment at the ferocity of his arousal sounding from his heart, and at feeling her own responding just as fiercely.

"Good," she hissed back under her breath with a grin. "At least we won't waste any time _jabbering_."

His low chuckle caused her to shiver slightly. "No, I don't foresee an excessive amount of _talking_."

Athena quickly licked her lips, hearing him draw in a sharp breath in response, and decided that she was _done _waiting any longer.

She sprinted the last few dozen yards towards the _ryokan_, and after a moment, the sound of his footfalls changing behind her told her that he was pursuing her.

* * *

Trucy's doves managed to keep Lotta's focus away from Apollo just long enough for the younger lawyer to blend into the crowd. Phoenix breathed an internal sigh of relief when the reporter exclaimed, "Hey, where'd that there friend of yours run off to now?"

He shrugged, the lie coming easily after making a living playing poker for years. "Maybe he had to go to the bathroom. You know how it is when nature calls."

Lotta eyed him suspiciously, but apparently did not spot any tells, as she shrugged shortly thereafter. "Eh, none of my beeswax. I got what I came for. I guess I better check the pictures I took just now."

And with that, she waved a quick goodbye and wormed her way through the only slowly dispersing throng of people, her cloud of auburn hair still visible for a while.

Once the reporter seemed reasonably far away, Phoenix turned to his daughter.

"So, what do you make of all this, kiddo?"

Trucy seemed to be at a loss, herself; she shrugged. "I have no clue. They _seemed _okay when they came back here together, or at least nowhere near as tense as they were before at the inn, but it kinda looked as though something weird happened while they were fighting it out, and just now, all the tension was back… I bet that's what Polly was talking about."

"Hm." Phoenix scratched his chin as he pondered her account. "That's not a lot to go on without background info, which we don't have…"

"'Background info?' On what particular topic?"

The deep, booming voice announced the newcomer to their discussion as Mayor Tenma before the lawyer and his daughter had even turned towards him. He and Jinxie were walking up to them.

Making sure that Lotta had not doubled back and was now listening in on them, Phoenix explained, "It's about my junior associate and Prosecutor Blackquill – as you saw, they left rather suddenly, and something seems to have caused animosity between them during their combat demonstration…"

"I wouldn't know what it could possibly be," the mayor responded immediately. "After all, the battle was staged."

Phoenix's eyebrow shot up. "Staged?"

Next to her father, Jinxie nodded. "We have a lot of people who practice sword arts living around here. The insomniac prosecutor's better than almost all of them, but Athena isn't. She could have never beaten him, and there were no obvious mistakes, even if it's a bit hard to tell since they're mixing styles."

The attorney nodded slowly; it made an awful lot of sense, come to think of it. While she was a firebrand at times, he could not envision Athena being reckless enough to agree to an impromptu battle with sharp weapons and comparatively inadequate armor, and he could _definitely _not imagine Blackquill consciously endangering her – this had to have been very carefully planned out and painstakingly practiced in advance.

"So it wasn't some sort of mistake… Hm, I wonder…"

He was starting to get an inkling of what _might _be going on here, particularly if he added in Apollo's odd remarks about Blackquill having seen him and Athena last night – then again, while this provided a _reason _for the original sudden awkwardness between the prosecutor and Phoenix's newest charge, it still was not enough information to be able to tell what had transpired just now, or to forecast where this situation was headed.

Trucy cocked her head after he had been silent for a while. "Now that the reporter lady is out of our hair, d'you maybe wanna go back to the inn and check if they're there? The walls are thin, so we'd get first-hand info, especially if they're yelling at each other..."

That got her father to laugh. "Out for gossip, Truce? Well, I guess going back for now can't hurt anything – and to be honest, I'm sort of wondering just how deeply Apollo has his hands in this situation. Maybe he needs rescuing…"

He nodded to Mayor Tenma. "Once again, thank you very much for inviting all of us here, and for providing rooms for us. We appreciate it – all of us. It may be a bit presumptuous of me, but I assume that this is true for Athena and Blackquill, as well…"

The wrestler waved off his thanks. "Please. It was the least we could do in exchange for the splendid performances your daughter, your junior associate and her acquaintance offered. Whatever the situation may be, I hope it will resolve itself favorably."

After exchanging a few more niceties and farewells, the Wrights made their way back to their inn, unaware that they were being tailed by a certain intrepid reporter.

* * *

As Apollo finally found the right turn-off from Yokai Lane towards the _ryokan _and followed the dirt path winding its way through a number of parceled-off rice fields, his thoughts were occupied with what he was supposed to say in case he was barging in on some kind of heated argument.

_I've tried to keep this from happening, I did. What went wrong now? I mean, he didn't even lose his temper when she stuck him with her sword a few weeks back! Why would some sort of error that didn't end up causing an accident get him all fired up again that quickly? Is this still somehow about the mess from yesterday, or is he just being a sore loser all of a sudden?_

Really, just when he thought he was beginning to understand Blackquill somewhat, the man turned around and did something that would have seemed out-of-character before. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

That was how far he progressed in his line of thinking when he looked up from the path to gaze at the inn – and promptly saw something that completely derailed it.

Through the window of Athena's room, he spotted her and Blackquill, now divested of surcoat and armor… and they were obviously _not _arguing.

At the moment, his junior associate was pulling rather forcefully on the shirt of Blackquill's traditional outfit, her lips locked with his in a demanding kiss.

Apollo stopped in his tracks and stared. _Damn, Athena. Seems you _did _work things out, after all. I guess what I saw wasn't _that _kind of tension…_

Just now, she had managed to dislodge and open the offending piece of clothing enough to where Blackquill took over as his arms were momentarily trapped, hurriedly shrugging out of it and carelessly flinging it into a corner before he once more reached for her and began working on her attire in turn as her hands began wandering over his bare torso.

_I should _not _be watching this. Then again, maybe _they _should have remembered that they have blinds…_

He was attempting to force his suddenly sluggish mind to come to the conclusion that _that _was not an excuse to keep on staring when he heard two sets of steps approaching from behind and turned.

"Holy shla_moly_, look at them _go_!" Trucy exclaimed, eyes wide, only to have her father step in front of her right away with a wry grin.

"And that is all you're going to get to see until you're older, kiddo."

"Aw _man_…"

Apollo turned back towards the inn, where Athena was just now taking a leap and locked her legs around Blackquill's waist, forcing the tall prosecutor to steady her and take a few steps backwards until his back collided with the wall due to the momentum, even though he was obviously in no danger of dropping her. Not even the sudden impact managed to get either one of the two to relinquish their quickly renewed kiss, although Athena decided a moment later to voluntarily do so in order to attack Blackquill's neck with her mouth instead, which he did not seem particularly opposed to.

Mr. Wright's expression never changed as he slightly shook his head. "Well, we both saw it coming, Apollo, and here it is. They certainly seem, uh, pretty caught up in each other."

His junior grinned. "Yep, I'd say so."

They had just concluded their exchange when Apollo heard a small noise nearby, caught a glimpse of a cloud of auburn hair and a camera at the ready –

_Click!_

"What in tarnation…!?"

Trucy had brought out Mr. Hat and positioned him squarely in the line of Hart's photography lens, so that she merely got a close-up of a blue cape. The dummy now clacked at the reporter, _"Consider me your friendly neighborhood 'Do Not Disturb' sign!"_

"Now see here, girlie, I'm a-huntin' for a scoop…"

Mr. Wright put on his Serious Face.

"There's no such thing here, Lotta. You said yourself that you got what you came for, and this is nobody's business but theirs. In fact, it's not even ours. I'm sorry, but I'm going to put my foot down in this matter."

Apollo moved to stand next to him and Trucy with Mr. Hat, effectively blocking the reporter's view, all of their backs now turned to the scenario. He added, "She's our friend, and he's… well, _hers_, obviously. They've been through enough already, they don't deserve a bunch of strangers, who were more than happy to make him out to be a monster and completely ignore her, running their mouths over their relationship."

Hart directed her gaze downward, her fingers leaving the camera, which was once again dangling in front of her chest. She half-heartedly kicked at the dirt.

"Yeah, I guess so, after all that kerfluffle with the leak, and the stuff in all the papers about the guy before, when he's just been tryin' to help the girl – considering what you said earlier, she's the "family member" no one wanted to name, right? … Made him sound really dangerous and nasty-like, them articles did, but I guess he ain't really, right?"

Apollo snorted. "Oh, he _can_ be a nasty piece of work on occasion, but overall, he's not so bad, no – particularly when it comes to her."

The woman with the impressive hair sighed. "It would've been _such _an amazing scoop…"

Mr. Wright smiled. "Well, Lotta, how about we go back to Yokai Lane and I buy us all some meat skewers and freshly-made lemonade. It may not be a 'scoop,' but maybe it'll make up for only getting one of those today…"

The reporter nodded her assent after a moment, and they all began to walk back towards the festivities. Next to Apollo, his superior muttered, "And this food purchase will last _at least _an hour or so, so _somebody _doesn't suddenly get the idea to come back here and sneak up to their window…"

The younger attorney signaled with a quick incline of his head that he agreed.

He threw one last look over his shoulder, but Blackquill and Athena were now gone from view, and considering the way they had been going at it, and that the window had only shown them from about the waist up to begin with, he had a fairly good idea just what was happening on the floor of that room at this point.

Feeling himself blush slightly, Apollo shook his head and resolutely faced front again.

_None of my business. _Totally_ none of my business. _

[End of chapter]

* * *

Note: If you are interested in an, um, _extended _version of what is going on inside that room, please head over to the version of the story posted under my AO3 account (the link is in my profile - the chapter in question is number 28 of 29 total chapters). Not for underage consumption!


	28. Chapter 28

_~ The following morning ~_

Apollo Justice had always been an early riser. Usually, he was the only one who was fully awake by the beginning of the Wright Anything Agency workday; Trucy was generally still asleep when he arrived, and Mr. Wright was impossible to talk to before his third cup of coffee, apparently a special blend which had been recommended to him by "an old friend and rival." Athena usually did not even show up at the office until just before they opened their doors to the public. Therefore, he was quite used to being either the only person around, or at least being the only one who managed to communicate in coherent sentences.

He had refrained from his "Chords of Steel" workout this morning, as he was in a building with relatively thin walls _and _two people who were armed and potentially dangerous if woken up by a good yelling session. Instead opting to get dressed and seeing if it was possible to get breakfast yet, he slid open the door and walked the few steps towards the dining area, which had now been opened up towards the hallway.

Today, his superior had apparently decided to be among the living-and-caffeinated at a rather early hour; he was sipping on a cup of coffee, the stains on the rim telling Apollo that it had probably been refilled at least once already, and reading a newspaper.

"Morning, Mr. Wright."

Apollo nodded at the smiling middle-aged lady offering him tea or coffee, gratefully accepting a cup of the latter and then turning his attention back toward his boss.

"Anything interesting in there?"

His superior grinned.

"See for yourself."

He handed over the paper, and Apollo was surprised at the large pictorial spread in the 'Society'section of the usually text-heavy publication.

"Your reporter friend is pretty fast getting things to press, isn't she?"

Mr. Wright shrugged. "Lotta was never a slow one… don't just look at the pictures, though. Something you said to her is printed in there."

Apollo once more glanced over the image of Blackquill's and Athena's beginning ritual honoring her mother, a shot of her with the blade thrust out in front of her, a few pictures of the prosecutor's routine, including one capturing him in mid-air, and finally images of their battle against each other, finishing off with a shot of Athena's blade at Blackquill's throat.

Then, his eyes fell on the headline.

_Samurai Prosecutor Impresses Festival Crowd with Volunteer Performance!_

The subtitle read,_ "A Nasty Piece of Work on Occasion, but Overall Not so Bad," Opponent Says._

The young attorney closed his eyes. "He's going to _kill _me."

"Who is?" Trucy yawned as she walked into the dining area, requesting an orange juice from their hostess. She seemed more than a little tired.

"Who do you _think_?" Apollo groused as his eyes flew over the first paragraph of the article.

_Simon Blackquill (29), long reviled for bringing about the Dark Age of the Law and rarely seen in public, showed another side of himself at this year's Nine-Tails Vale Festival. The prosecutor, also known as the 'Twisted Samurai' by many, delivered a swordplay demonstration in honor of his mentor, Dr. Metis Cykes. Sentenced to death for her murder seven years ago, he was exonerated at the end of last year in light of new evidence proving his innocence, and the subsequent capture of the responsible party. Athena Cykes (19), a defense attorney and the daughter of his alleged victim, performed alongside him. Spectator reactions were unanimously positive, unsurprising in light of the impressive showing (see images above). While Cykes and Blackquill left the staging area immediately after the conclusion of their demonstration and could not be reached for comment, audience members and acquaintances told our correspondent about their impressions of the performance, as well as about the enigmatic prosecutor and ex-inmate…_

And there they were again, Apollo's words, which had _not _been intended as an official statement. _That'll teach me to run my mouth in front of a reporter._

He passed the paper on to Trucy, sighing, "Yep, I'm dead."

From the hallway, the sound of a door sliding open and closed sounded, only to repeat itself a moment later somewhat closer to the dining area.

The young magician quickly scanned the article. "I dunno, Polly, maybe Prosecutor Blackquill will be _happy _about the fact that your comment is the meanest one in this entire thing…"

Mr. Wright laughed. "I don't think you're helping, Truce."

The door which had just been moved a few minutes ago slid open again, and then, a tall figure in black track pants and a hooded sweater of the same color walked past the dining area towards the communal restroom on bare feet. The faded white lettering in the front of the shirt remained illegible from Apollo's angle, and the hood was drawn down far enough to completely conceal the face of the person when viewed from the side. Judging from their height, the unknown guest was probably male, but considering that everything but their feet was hidden by cloth, including the hands, which had been shoved into the side pockets of the sweater, it was impossible to tell anything more. A mere second later, the person was out of sight again, the sound of a door indicating that they had reached their goal.

The younger attorney stared for a moment.

"I thought we were the only guests in this inn last night… was there some stranger staying here, as well?"

Mr. Wright shrugged. "Maybe someone who booked in advance and came in late?"

The bathroom door at the other side of the hallway opened again, and a moment later, the person in black stepped into the dining area, the worn letters on the sweater now recognizable as reading "UCLA NCAA Fencing Team 2017-18." Apollo started violently when he caught a glimpse at a familiar jawline below the shadow of the hood just before it was pushed back.

His superior raised an eyebrow as he greeted, "Good morning, Prosecutor Blackquill."

Blackquill just grunted in response as he sat, one knee propped up in front of him as a makeshift armrest. When the innkeeper offered tea or coffee, he mumbled two syllables vaguely resembling the word "Coffee," making it sound like a lifeline.

At this point, Apollo was raising an eyebrow. _Wow, he's the worst morning person ever._

The prosecutor's hair was disheveled and stuck up in places, his face was adorned by a noticeable trace of black stubble, and he managed to be dressed in a more hobo-like manner than Mr. Wright at the worst of times, to not even mention that he had not bothered with socks. After seeing the man almost exclusively in suit, tie and his ubiquitous surcoat, which he had also worn over his training outfit yesterday, Apollo had never envisioned him as someone who would ever let intimidating formality in his clothing choices slip, let alone forgo personal grooming before showing himself to others for _any_ reason. It seemed that he had been wrong in his assumptions yet again.

The coffee arrived, and Blackquill knocked back half the cup in one go, grimacing slightly before he put it down. Only then, he seemed to notice that everyone was staring at him in silence.

"Is there something on my face?"

Next to Apollo, Trucy giggled. "Um, yeah, kinda…"

Blackquill snorted as his hand brushed across his chin. "It is eight in the morning. Give me another hour to look presentable, Wright-dono."

Before reaching for his coffee cup once more, he yawned behind the hand he had already lifted to his face, and then stretched his arms out behind his back with fingers threaded, causing his shoulder joints to emit a dull popping noise.

Apollo just could not stop looking at the man incredulously. _He sounds like Blackquill, he kind of looks like Blackquill, but…who is he, and what has he done with the _real _Blackquill?_

He was distracted from his line of thought when the younger Wright held the paper out to the prosecutor. "Here, check out the 'Society' section."

_Thanks, Trucy. Really, thanks a _boatload.

The young attorney gulped down what he assumed might well be his final drag of coffee as he watched Blackquill take the newspaper from the girl with a raised eyebrow and leaf through it for the indicated part, his eyes moving as he read.

"Hn. Color me shocked – for once, no one is calling for my head."

The prosecutor closed the paper and put it aside, face impassive. Then, his eyes fell on Apollo, whose surprise was apparently evident. Blackquill smirked as he guessed at the reason.

"Come now, Justice-dono, we both know what you said is the truth, particularly if you take my conduct yesterday into account. I see no cause for contention."

_Was… was that an apology!? _Now, the younger attorney was completely lost for words.

The renewed sound of a sliding door opening and closing came from the hallway, and now, the final missing person showed up in their round. Athena had not put up her hair, long red tresses flowing freely down her back. She was wearing a plain yellow t-shirt and blue jeans, and, like everyone _but _Mr. Wright and Apollo, seemed far from rested. With a wordless nod into the round, she plopped down between Trucy and Blackquill, before filching the remainder of the prosecutor's coffee and downing it in one gulp.

The prosecutor raised an eyebrow. "Whatever happened to etiquette?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "It's been postponed to after nine."

He shook his head with a minute smile. "Hmph. Fair enough."

A quiet snicker escaped Trucy's mouth; Apollo could not entirely blame her. _Is this how they are with each other when they're by themselves? _

After the innkeeper had returned, refilling everyone's drinks and handing Athena her own cup of coffee, she assured her guests that breakfast would be served in about half an hour, withdrawing once more into the kitchen.

Mr. Wright cleared his throat as soon as the woman was out of earshot. "That was quite the performance yesterday – and I don't just mean the one in the manor grounds."

Athena had been in the middle of taking a sip of her drink and began coughing as she accidentally inhaled it, instead. She and Blackquill exchanged a look.

When he spoke up for both of them, Apollo was impressed to perceive absolutely no tells from the prosecutor. "I'm afraid I don't know to what exactly you are referring."

Mr. Wright grinned from ear to ear; he was obviously looking forward to stating aloud what was currently on his mind.

"Let's just say, if you were planning on keeping certain things _private_, you might want to consider closing the blinds next time. We've had to fend off a nosy photo journalist for you to make sure a picture of _that _didn't land in this morning's paper."

The reaction to his words was instantaneous: Athena flushed bright red, Blackquill refused to meet anyone's eyes, and Trucy started giggling so hard that her hat slipped sideways on her hair.

"Oh, and also," the magician quipped once she had managed to calm herself somewhat, "I woke up at about three this morning because I heard _something_ from next door through the wall… Whatever did you _do _that had Prosecutor Blackquill begging so nicely, Athena?"

"Trucy!" Apollo was scandalized. _So _that's _why they're all so tired… but did she _really _have to bring it up like _that_?_

Well, she had never been known for her excess of tact, and the one-two punch had apparently been too hard to resist.

Now even Blackquill noticeably showed a hint of color on his usually pale face just before he lowered it into the palm of his hand with an embarrassed groan. Athena hid her features against the black fabric covering the prosecutor's upper arm, her ears burning at about the hue of a stop sign.

Mr. Wright put on his Serious Face as he attempted to glare at the couple, although the corners of his mouth quirked upward rather traitorously when he said, "I thank you very much to not subject my underage daughter to your pornographic noises in the middle of the night, even if our esteemed courtroom opponent being _exceedingly polite _to one of our own at an unspeakable time in the morning is certainly noteworthy..."

Trucy's glee was unstoppable at this point; she was holding her stomach, giggling for all she was worth. Apollo could not help it; he succumbed as well, snickering into his fist. Even his superior was now grinning in spite of himself.

Their mortification still evident, the subjects of their hilarity hesitantly made eye contact with each other. Athena's lips twitched. Blackquill cleared his throat. Another look. Athena pressed her lips together tightly. Blackquill made an odd noise, his shoulders shaking once. One final glance at each other, and they broke down, Athena leaning against the prosecutor's side as she laughed so hard that tears began running down her cheeks, while Blackquill threw his arm across her back and guffawed. Every time their eyes met, they set each other off anew.

After a short while, the prosecutor managed to get a hold of himself momentarily.

"I suppose apologies are in order for our p… porno…"

He never reached the end of the word, as he lost the tenuous control over his composure yet again and was now positively howling with laughter. Next to him, Athena clutched at her sides while forcing out, "At least you were _polite_… while making _those_…"

Blackquill hugged her to him as he snorted, "Some of us _do _happen to have manners."

At this point, Apollo was sure that the prosecutor had been replaced by an imposter. Oh, their erstwhile opponent _laughed_ on occasion, alright, but not at his ownexpense.

_Wrong again. _Or rather, he corrected himself after a moment, maybe it was time to adjust the way he thought about Blackquill altogether.

_Athena's been telling me from the beginning, and I didn't listen. He's not the way he is in court when he's in private. We just haven't had a chance to see him like that._

He felt slightly ashamed for letting himself be guided by his preconceived notions whenever he had assessed the man before. Blackquill seemed so easy to categorize at first glance that it was difficult to recall that, at the end of the day, he was just a man, a few years older than Apollo and younger than Mr. Wright by about the same measure, who, after having to don the façade of a criminal for a long time, was only now at leisure to shed the labels applied to him by others and be himself again.

It took a few moments longer for the two to finally catch themselves. With a somewhat lopsided, self-deprecating grin, the prosecutor eventually inquired, "Considering our flagrant lack of discretion, I assume that formal announcements are no longer necessary?"

Apollo, Trucy, and Mr. Wright all mutely shook their heads.

"In that case…" Blackquill turned toward Athena, whom he was still holding close, and gently tilted her head up by her chin. "Good morning."

Her fingers threaded into his hair. "Yeah, it is."

Even after witnessing the intense make-out session through the window yesterday, Apollo felt himself blushing slightly when they kissed, this time slowly and tenderly, the moment much more intimate than all the crackling urgency and shedding of clothes a day before. Still, it was good to see that what they had all seen had apparently not just been an explosive release of sexual tension, a fact only emphasized by the way the couple smiled at each other when they drew apart once more.

Mr. Wright cleared his throat. "I suppose I can save myself the tired old 'Hurt her and there'll be hell to pay' speech?"

Blackquill raised an eyebrow, about to respond, but was preempted by Athena, who grinned at her boss. "Gee, thanks _dad_. Stop trying to scare off my boyfriend."

The prosecutor stared down at her, a bit nonplussed.

"What? That's what you are, right?"

He ruminated on that for a moment. "For lack of a better term, even though this one is somewhat juvenile…"

"Oh, shut up and kiss me."

He did as she had commanded without complaint, stating with quiet humor after pulling away, "Before I talk myself into an untenable situation, I believe I will go and take a quick shower."

Athena's grin suddenly seemed ravenous. "Need someone to scrub your back?"

Blackquill's expression matched hers in an instant. Gaze fixed on her as he rose alongside her, he muttered, "Excuse us," before both of them left rather hurriedly.

Mr. Wright laughed under his breath once they could hear the door of the communal washroom at the end of the corridor click shut and the bolt lock slide into place. "Subtle, they sure aren't."

Trucy sighed with a little smile on her face. "It's really cute though…"

"You sound like Pearl," the younger defense attorney pointed out while lifting his cup to his mouth, telling himself that he would delay his own planned shower until he was back home – he was not sure he could step into the one here without envisioning what was probably going on in there right now. _Back scrubbing… is that what they're calling it these days?_

The magician shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that. Come on, you can't tell me I'm not right – and I'm happy for them, even if they woke me up early this morning and corrupted my poor, innocent soul with their _pornographic noises_..."

Apollo nearly snorted out his coffee.

"Also," Trucy continued, "Prosecutor Blackquill is actually pretty fun to have around, isn't he? I think we'll all get along great once he starts coming around the office, and you _know_ he will…"

Her father rolled his eyes. "It sounds like you just adopted him, Truce… Well, having a kid that's taller than me is a bit of a change, but he's as much of a smartmouth as all of you, so I guess he'll fit right in."

Apollo asked with a grin, "How are you gonna let him know that he's just been inducted into the family?"

"The same way I let _you _know." Mr. Wright winked. "He'll find out by himself soon enough."

Athena and Blackquill missed breakfast altogether.

~ THE END ~


End file.
